Amor Vincit Omnia
by chihuahuamama
Summary: Edward decides to leave Chicago and start over in LA. At the airport he sees a beautiful mother asleep with a little girl in the stroller. The little girl climbs onto Edward's lap. After they chat some they doze off too. When he wakes up they're gone. AH
1. Chapter 1 The Magician

**Title:****Amor Vincit Omnia** – Love conquers all

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

**I only own the plot.**

**Chapter 1 The Magician**

**Characters: Alice, Jasper, Bella, Edward, Kathryn (Kitty, Kit-Kat)**

**Alice POV**

I met my best friend, Bella, my junior year in high school. She moved from Phoenix to live with her father, the chief of police, in Forks, Washington. After high school, we both went to university in Seattle. During our senior year, on Spring break, we went down to LA to watch my boyfriend Jasper's band play live at a bar there. This gig was very important to them. There were a few people from the record label coming to see them, as they were quite popular at bars in Seattle.

Before they performed, Bella and I dropped by during their rehearsal to say Hi, and wish them good luck. When we showed up Stephen, the vocalist, showed interest in Bella, and they started to chat and instantly hit it off.

This was the beginning of the whirlwind romance between Bella and Stephen. Sadly at that time my intuition never kicked in, and I had no idea that in a few years the romance would come to an end.

Today Jasper and I was flying from LA to Chicago, to hold Bella's hand as she buries Stephen to rest in Chicago, where his parents also rested. My heart was heavy and I was also angry.

I just couldn't understand why so much misfortune fell on Bella. Only 4 years ago Jasper and I flew with Bella, Stephen, and Bella's father Charlie to Phoenix, to lay Bella's mother Renee and Phil to rest after a fatal car crash had taken their lives suddenly. Just 3 years ago Jasper and I flew from LA to join Stephen and Bella to lay Charlie to rest, in Forks, after losing Charlie when he was fatally shot on duty during a convenience store robbery.

Bella and Stephen were so happy that they were expecting their first baby in 3 weeks, but the shock of losing Charlie had caused Bella to go in labor 3 days after we laid Charlie to rest.

With Stephen gone, Bella was now alone with no other relative, just herself and her 3 year old daughter, Kathryn. My upbeat self had no energy left, and I had no clue what to say or what I could do for Bella, to get her through this.

"Alice, are you almost ready? We need to leave in half an hour for the airport," Jasper called to me from my living room, while I finished checking to make sure I had all things packed for the trip. I bought a one way ticket since I had no idea how long I needed to stay in Chicago for Bella.

Before I had a chance to reply to Jasper, he came behind me and hugged me tight, and kissed me on my forehead to assure me that everything would be okay.

"Sweetheart, I promise we will do everything in our powers to help Bella get through this," Jasper softly whispered into my ear trying to calm me down.

"Jasper, I don't know what to do this time, I don't know what I can say or do for her, she has lost everyone, I am so scared to even see her, I don't know if I can even comfort her without breaking down myself," I cried to Jasper.

"Sweetheart, I was thinking maybe we should try to convince Bella to move to LA, to be near us. You can't drop everything and stay in Chicago too long. Even Bella, she only moved to Chicago so that Stephen could be with his brothers in Chicago while he was being treated for cancer. Now that he's gone, there's no reason for her to stay in Chicago, no reason for her to move to Seattle nor Forks nor Phoenix, since there are no one there for her. We are all she has closest to family," Jasper said to me.

I really had no energy to think anything through, and when Jasper made his suggestion, I suddenly saw a little light of hope that maybe there was something we can do for her, that maybe Bella will take our suggestion. "Wow, Jasper! I hadn't thought of that. I really think that would be a great suggestion to Bella, and something she would consider. By her moving to LA we can help her raise Kathryn. Even Emmett and Rosalie could also help out now that they are both living in LA near us. Maybe even Edward could help out as soon as he moves to LA, and considering that he's a pediatrician it might come handy," I replied to Jasper with a glimmer of hope.

My brother, Emmett, who is 7 years older than me, and his girlfriend, Rosalie, had recently moved to LA to be near Rosalie's parents. She wanted to be near them, and Emmett secured a position to coach football at the local high school. Rosalie, with some financial help from her parents, opened a spa in Santa Monica. Rosalie's parents owned a chain of boutique hotels throughout the world. A year ago, with Rosalie's parents' assistance, I also opened a small boutique in one of their hotels in Santa Monica. Now all I had to do was to come up with a great idea, to convince Bella to move to LA. I needed to do some serious brain storming on the flight to Chicago. I needed to come up with a plan using Bella's selfless nature to lure her into living near me.

"Sweetheart, what's going on in your little pretty head? That evil grin on your face is scaring me," Jasper said narrowing his eyes towards me.

"I think I just came up with a brilliant idea that will aid in Bella moving to LA," I told Jasper.

"What's your evil plan, Tinkerbelle?" Jasper asked with fear in his eyes.

"I need a little more time to solidify this idea. My first priority is to just be there for Bella and then once I am able to get her back on her feet by then I should have everything in order so that she won't be able to weasel out of moving to LA," I replied back to Jasper and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

**Bella POV**

I had Alice to thank for helping me back on my feet, but how did I get sucked in to moving to LA? I now stood in line with my daughter, Kitty, in her stroller, with my laptop bag swung around my shoulders. I rolled my carry-on trolley behind me and waited to get our boarding passes to fly from Chicago to LA. It was snowing really hard outside. There was an announcement that one of the planes skid off the runway during landing, and that at the moment all flights were delayed or cancelled to fly out of O'Hare. Grrrr! I had a bad feeling that I was going to be stuck here in O'Hare for several hours.

I needed to call Alice soon to inform her that I had no idea when I can get out of O'Hare. Knowing Alice, she probably already knew of the situation here in O'Hare, and probably was on top of securing another flight out of O'Hare for Kitty and me by now. The attendants at the counter started to announce that the flights out of O'Hare for the next three hours were cancelled. We were told to listen in for further updates regarding the situation as to when the earliest available flights were going to be. As soon as I heard the announcement I called Alice to let her know what I just heard. She told me that she called her travel agent to secure us a flight 5 hours from now just in case it took more than 3 hours to clear the runway.

I couldn't be more thankful as there were thousands of people crowding around the ticketing booths. Many had their cell phones to their ear, and were probably calling their travel agent to book another flight later in the day. I had faith in Alice that somehow she beat everyone, and her judgment on securing a flight 5 hours from now was going to be the earliest flight out of O'Hare.

I decided to just relax and go with the flow. There really weren't much I could do in this situation. There were people yelling and screaming near the ticketing counter, and Kitty started to stir in her sleep. I definitely wanted to avoid her waking up now so I quickly went to search for an open seat in the waiting area near the counter. After circling around several times near the waiting area I was finally able to secure one seat that I could sit down, and just keep Kitty in the stroller. I decided to flip through the magazine that I just bought at the kiosk, and snacked on the sandwiches I bought on the way to the airport.

I didn't get to catch much sleep last night. We checked into a hotel near the airport. All our furniture and belongings were already with the movers. Alice made all the arrangements with the movers before she left last week. She left before us so that she could be back in LA, and make sure we could move into our apartment as soon as we got into LA.

Jasper secured us an apartment on a different level of the apartment complex he lived. The apartment that became available was previously occupied by one of his friends so it was easy for him to secure it for us. It was a two bedroom apartment so I won't be able to have a guestroom, but it was the best option considering the fact that Jasper lived in the same complex. Alice's condo was only ten minutes drive away, and according to Alice, her oldest brother Emmet and his girlfriend, Rosalie, only lived half an hour away from the apartment also. Alice had 2 older brothers. I only met her oldest brother, Emmett, a few times, but never met her brother, Edward. Both of her brothers were much older than us. They were already out of college by the time I moved from Phoenix to Forks, during my junior year in high school.

An hour after I flipped through my magazine my eyelids felt heavy, and it was a battle for me to stay awake. Kitty was fast asleep in her stroller so I wasn't too worried. She was a deep sleeper, so I was sure that even if I fell asleep for a little while she would still be asleep when I woke up.

**Edward POV**

When I got to the airport it was flooded with crying children, yelling and screaming adults, and people sat everywhere on the floor of the airport. Then I heard the announcement that one of the runways was closed due to an accident. The priority at the moment was to land all the planes that couldn't be diverted to other airports. I decided to call my sister, Alice, to ask for help. She was the "go to" person when you needed something done. I hadn't told her I was flying in today to LA. I wanted to have a few days to myself before the ball of energy bounced back into my life. I loved my sister dearly, but sometimes she was just too overwhelming for me. I needed a moment of peace, and get settled into my new apartment in LA before all family reunions started. I loved my family, but for the past few years I didn't interact much with my family. Due to this accident here in O'Hare, the only way for me to get out of this airport, was to seek help from Alice.

"Hey Alice, it's Edward. I need your help," I said as soon as she answered her phone.

"Edward? Hey, I'm really busy right now, can I call you back?" she replied, but I quickly retorted.

"Alice, it's an emergency. I really need your help. There was an accident at O'Hare, and I'm now stuck here. My flight to LA was cancelled, so I need your help to secure me another flight few hours from now. Please help me Alice," I begged her.

"What? What do you mean you're at O'Hare, Huh? When were you planning to tell me you were moving to LA today from Chicago? Were you planning to tell me after you moved into your new apartment? How could you? How could you keep this a secret from me? How dare you think I would help you find another seat for you on a different flight? My best friend is also stuck in O'Hare and…"

I cut Alice mid sentence and said, "Alice, please. I'm really sorry, but I really need your help. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you I was moving today. Could you or Jasper please help me out?" I begged her again.

"All right, Edward. My hands are tied trying to help my best friend out at the moment but I'll ask Jasper to sort something out for you. You owe me big time, brother. I'll have Jasper call you soon." She replied back to me in a very annoyed and stressed out voice. She must really be in a pinch. Alice was always in control and this situation in O'Hare must be something that even she couldn't do much about.

"Thanks Alice, I really appreciate it. Let me know later what I can do to make it up to you," I tried to sound as sincere and thankful as best as I could.

15 minutes later my phone buzzed. When I checked the caller ID, I was thankful to see that it was Jasper. "Hey! Thanks so much for calling me back".

"No problem mate, but you're gonna have to hang in there a little while longer. We know the situation at O' Hare right now. For the past hour or so Alice has been on the phone trying to sort out a ticket for her best friend, Bella, to secure a seat on another flight. We'll try to get you a seat as soon as we secure Bella's. Alice thinks that the departure flights will start 5 hours from now. They are saying that they've cancelled departure flights only for the next 3 hours, but Alice thinks it will take longer. You know how she is with her intuition. You never bet against Alice." Jasper said and chuckled.

"Bella? Her college roommate she's been friends since Forks high school?" I asked Jasper.

"Yeah, that's her. Her husband passed away few weeks ago. Ally persuaded Bella and her baby girl to move out to LA since Bella has no family left," Jasper answered with sadness in his voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry her friend is going through a tough time and that she's also stuck here in O'Hare. It must be horrible being here with a child in this chaos. Do you want me to try to locate her? Would that maybe put Alice's mind at ease?" I asked Jasper.

"That crossed my mind. Thanks for the offer, but I think the situation there is too chaotic for you to locate her. Last I heard Bella was able to find somewhere she could sit comfortably with her daughter. Since you've never met her, Bella is quite shy and I don't think she will feel too comfortable meeting you in this circumstance. Thanks for the offer though. I'll let Ally know you offered assistance to help Bella out. Maybe that will earn you some brownie points for what you've just pulled. That was really low of you moving to LA today without her knowledge. I realize Ally can be a bit pushy and overwhelming, but she was quite hurt when you called earlier. She realized if this situation in O'Hare didn't happen you were going to be here in LA and wouldn't have heard from you until you settled in first. She planned on picking you up at the airport and host you a welcome party. Now you've crushed her plan. Be afraid. Be very afraid of the wrath of Alice, big brother," Jasper said and laughed.

"I'm really sorry. I'll apologize to her as soon as I'm in LA. I guess I'll go and find somewhere I can settle down and wait for your call," I said and thanked Jasper.

I walked to the boarding gate where my original flight was supposed be, and looked for an empty seat in the waiting area. I circled around a few times, and just as I was about to circle again a seat opened. I quickly made a dash and sat down. Once I put my luggage down and sat in the seat, my eyes caught a beautiful young mother asleep across from my seat. She slumped over a stroller with her hair sprawled over the top shade of the stroller.

In the stroller was a little girl, maybe two or three years old. She had beautiful brown hair like her mother with a breath taking marine blue eyes I had ever seen. The little girl looked almost angelic. While I continued to stare at the little girl fumbled with the buckle that kept her secure in the stroller. When she finally unbuckled herself from the stroller, she went face flat onto the carpeted floor. Her mother was deep asleep, and did not even stir. I was afraid the little girl would start to cry as it looked like she skinned her knee. Contrary to what I imagined, all she did was scrunch her nose and looked around to see if anyone saw her. Then she caught me staring at her. She blushed and giggled. She then wobbled across and before I could do anything she climbed on to my lap. She gave me the most beautiful innocent smile I had ever seen.

As a pediatrician, I was used to being around children, but her action took me by surprise. Most kids her age were not as bold or independent. Then the little angel opened her mouth and said to me, "Hi. I'm Kitty. You have pretty green eyes. Like lime Jello," she said and giggled.

Now that was a first. I was used to being complimented about my green eyes, but most of the time the compliments came from women trying to hit on me. They usually compared my eyes to emeralds and never a lime flavored Jello. I chuckled and in reply said, "Well nice to meet you Kitty, I'm Edward, and your eyes are beautiful, it's almost the color of the ocean."

She then dug into her pocket and pulled out a small leather photo frame. "This is my mommy and my daddy and me," she said with a big smile on her face. I quickly recognized that her eyes were the same as her father's. Then my eyes were drawn to the young woman in the photo. At the moment her mother was asleep and looked beautiful, but in the photo I was able to see her eyes, and I was instantly mesmerized by her beauty.

"You all look really beautiful and very happy," I told her and smiled back to her.I froze when I saw the little angel's eyes filled with tears.

She spoke again and said in almost a whisper, "my Daddy is in the clouds with my grandpa and grandma," she said and a single tear fell down her cheek.

At that very moment I quickly hugged the little angel tightly to my chest, and she snuggled into me and sighed. I soon realized that she must have lost her father very recently as the dress she wore in the picture was identical to the one she wore today. In my line of work I constantly saw devastation of parents over the loss of their child, I rarely witnessed children mourn over the loss of their parent. It was something I was not used to. I felt my heart ache for this little angel. I gave her a little kiss on her head and rubbed her back. I gently rocked her to try to soothe her. She sobbed for a little while, but her breathing slowed down and soon she fell asleep.

I looked across from me to see if her mother woke up yet, but she was still fast asleep. I debated whether I should carry her and buckle her into the stroller or not. I decided to just hold her till her mother woke up. The warmth that emanated from the little angel relaxed me and soon I struggled to stay awake.

**Bella POV**

I felt something move in the back pocket of my jeans and realized that it was my phone. It was Alice calling me. "Hi Bella, I've got good news for you. I was able to get you two business class seats three hours from now. It's been two hours since your flight was cancelled and according to my source they tell me that the first direct flight from O'Hare is this one. Let's hope that no other delays will be made and that you could get on this new flight I booked for you," she said excitedly as she was able to secure me a seat despite there were only few available seats on other flights left even before this chaos started. "It's a direct flight so once you board the plane all you have to do is get off the plane. Jasper and I'll be there waiting for you when you come out of the arrival exit. Oh, I miss you and Kitty. I can't wait to see you two," I felt the excitement through her words.

Once I got off the phone I looked in the stroller to check on Kitty and froze. My little girl was no longer in the stroller. Panic rushed through me. I quickly scanned the area for Kitty. I was shocked when I saw Kitty asleep in the arms of a pale man with messy bronze hair across from where I sat. Kitty was always shy and never the type to leave my side or go near a stranger. I had no idea what happened or what prompted her to be in the situation she was in. For some reason I did not feel fear when I saw her asleep in the arms of this stranger. He looked peacefully asleep just like Kitty. I debated whether to wake them up or not. I realized there was an open seat beside him so I quickly gathered my things and moved across to sit beside them.

In about half an hour Kitty stirred and woke up. She slowly slipped out of the stranger's arm and crawled into my lap. "Kit-Kat, why were you sleeping in this gentleman's lap?" I asked her.

"You were asleep. I was bored. Edward is my friend now. Mommy I'm hungry," she said as if sleeping in this man's arms were nothing out of the ordinary. I wanted to thank him for taking care of my little girl, and gently tried to wake him up, but he was dead asleep. I didn't want to leave without thanking him so I pulled out a notebook out of my bag and ripped a page out. I wrote a note to thank him for taking care of my little girl.

_Thank you very much for keeping my daughter safe. Please give me a call so that I could thank you properly._

_Isabella_

I signed my name as Isabella instead of Bella since I didn't know this man. I also wrote my cell phone number and email address, and tucked the note in his shirt pocket.

The folded paper was not very small so stuck out of his pocket. I was sure he would find it when he woke up. Once I tucked the note we left the waiting area to go to the food court to grab something for Kitty to eat.

**Edward POV**

When I woke up I felt my heart ache when I realized that the little girl and her mother were gone. I wasn't sure what happened. When I stretched I noticed a big piece of folded paper sticking out of my shirt pocket.

I know I didn't put it there so I pulled it out and found that it was a note written by the girl's mother. The handwriting was rather messy, but it was sincere, and she left me a number to call her so that she could thank me properly.

I longed to see the little girl again and her mother so that I could see her beautiful eyes, but I decided that it was best to leave things as is and not call her. Her thank you note was more than enough. She could have just left without the note, but the fact that she took the time to write the note in itself was more than enough. I wasn't very good at socializing with strangers. It would be out of character and I wouldn't be able to say anything coherent.

While I contemplated whether to make the call or not I got a call from Jasper. "Hey mate, I'm sorry to tell you, but Alice was only able to secure a seat for Bella and the next available direct flight from Chicago to O'Hare is 5 hours from now. The other option would be flying to Las Vegas from O'Hare, and driving from Vegas to LA. That flight would be available in 2 hours. Which option would you rather take?" Jasper asked.

I sighed. "I really don't want to be stuck here any longer than necessary. Driving from Vegas to LA and catching some zzzzs there sounds like a better option. Do you think you could book me a night at Bellagio or Caesar's Palace and sort out a rental car for me?" I asked.

"Tell you what, I'll do even better. Let's have a boys' night in Vegas. I'll call up Emmett and see if he would join me on the drive out to Vegas. We'll pick you up at McCarran. I could use a night out since Ally is probably going to be preoccupied for the next few days settling Bella and Kit-Kat in," Jasper replied with excitement in his voice.

"Thanks Jazz. Now I have something to look forward to. Book me on the flight to Vegas and give me the hotel details later. I hope Emmett doesn't drive you crazy on the way to Vegas" I chuckled.

**********

**A/N **

Thank you for reading my story. Please take a moment and leave me a review. It's possible to leave a review even if you haven't signed up since I have anonymous review enabled. Reviews help me write faster and better. I realize most people leave a review when they stop reading the chapters, but if possible when something struck your attention or you enjoyed in a particular chapter it would be great if you could leave a review for that specific chapter so I could know. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2 Ace of Cups

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot I came up with.

The restaurants and places mentioned in this chapter are real. The websites to some of the places mentioned are on my profile.

**Chapter 2 Ace of Cups**

**Characters: Bella, Kathryn (Kit-Kat, Kitty), Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Edward, and Jessica**

**Bella POV**

Once we landed in LAX and soon as we exited the plane I saw Alice jumping up and down waving her arms and shrieking, "Bella, Bella, Kit-Kat!" to let us know where she was. People around her all stared and moved out of her way. I immediately turned beet red and even Kitty looked down at her feet embarrassed by Alice's actions.

I sighed and said to my daughter, "are you ready to live here baby?" She gave me a bright and happy smile.

"Yep," she said with confidence in her voice and her eyes expressed the same. Her words gave me light of hope that maybe I had made the right decision moving out here leaving our past behind to give ourselves a fresh new start.

Alice ran up to us and lifted Kitty up and gave her a big slobbery kiss on her cheek. "Ewww Aunty Alice, ick!" my little girl quickly wiped her cheek. Alice and I laughed and Kitty giggled.

"All right girls, first stop my apartment, then we'll go grab something to eat," Alice said excitedly as we walked to her car.

"Where's Jazz, Alice?" I asked her when I realized that Jasper wasn't around.

"Oh, Jasper and Emmett went to Vegas to pick up Edward," she said.

Her brother Edward was much older than us so I had never met him and he wasn't really part of our social circle so I didn't really know much about him but if I remembered correctly I didn't think he lived in Vegas. "Ally, I don't remember your brother living in Vegas," I said to Alice.

"Oh, sorry I totally forgot you don't know what all went down. Funny thing is he was also stuck in O'Hare at the same time you and Kitty were. I couldn't get him a ticket to LAX till hours later and all I was able to do was book him a flight from Chicago to Vegas. Instead of hanging around O'Hare longer for a direct flight to LAX, he decided to stay the weekend in Vegas and Jasper decided it would be fun if he and Emmett joined Edward there," she explained to me.

"I was almost going to say that I was sorry that you gave me the seat for the first available flight out of O'Hare to LAX when you could have given that to him, but the trip does sound fun. I'm glad to hear that something positive came out of that whole mess at O'Hare airport. But why is your brother flying into LA?" I asked as I still couldn't get the whole picture from what she explained to me.

"Edward left New York after something went down with his ex-girlfriend. He then moved to Chicago and worked at Children's Memorial Hospital for about a year but he wasn't satisfied there and when one of my Dad's friend offered him a position at the pediatric clinic he owns in LA, Edward decided to take the offer and he's been slowly sending things to his new apartment here and flying into LA every few weekends for the past 6 months or so, and today was the day for him to move himself as everything he owned were now in LA," she explained so that I could understand.

"I'm hungry, Mommy. I want waffles," Kitty said and shook my arm.

"Oh sorry Kit-Kat, of course you are hungry. Let's grab something to eat before we drive to my place then. Hey Bella, let's go to Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. Remember we used to go there all the time when you were pregnant with Kitty?"

The thought of waffles and chicken smothered in gravy immediately made my mouth water. "That sounds super," I said to Alice and I suddenly felt really hungry. The drive to Roscoe's took us almost an hour as the traffic was heavy getting there from the airport. Once we were seated I suddenly felt really melancholy. Here I was back in Roscoe's but this time Stephen wasn't here with me. The memories I had of Roscoe's were of Stephen, Jasper, Alice and I joking and laughing so hard that we always had tears in our eyes. I let out a deep sigh and Alice and Kitty looked at me with worry in their eyes. "Don't worry about it, I was just remembering the good times we had here," I assured them.

After we ate till we could no longer fit anything more in our stomach, we got back in the car and drove to Alice's place. Alice wanted us to stay with her for the first week so that we could get my apartment set up completely so that we won't have to live there while unpacking. I couldn't thank her more for all the thought she had put into helping us settle in. It's been a little over 2 years since Stephen and I left LA so that Stephen could get treatment back in Chicago where his brothers were. Kitty was not even 1 yet when we packed up and left LA.

It was the toughest decision we made. It meant that the band no longer had their vocalist. Jasper also decided to quit music and became a photographer which was another passion he had. Due to Stephen's cancer and our move to Chicago, Jasper no longer had the motivation to continue the band. The band did really well till Stephen fell ill to cancer. They had 2 major releases of their albums and had gone on worldwide tour twice. We did financially really well. Stephen was quite conservative with his spending. He put aside quite a bit as I was pregnant with Kitty and he wasn't sure how long the fame of his band would last.

Thanks to Stephen's level headed thinking, even though Stephen was no longer with Kitty and I, we were not financially in trouble. We were by no means rich but we were going to be comfortable for a while. His life insurance was also coming in as well and he had bought a beach house in Balboa bay that if anything went wrong I still could sell that, and I still owned my father's house in Forks even though I doubt that would bring much of a profit. It was assuring to know that Kitty and I would not have to depend on others financially.

In about half an hour after we left Roscoe's we finally arrived at Alice's condo in Santa Monica. Kitty fell asleep on the ride to Alice's so as soon as we entered her place Alice showed me the guestroom and we tucked Kitty in bed. I wasn't in any better condition than Kitty so Alice had suggested I take a shower and join Kitty in bed as she said she wanted to take us to Paradise Cove in Malibu tomorrow.

The thought of going to Paradise Cove and seeing the Ocean again after missing it for more than 2 years appealed to me. It would actually be really fun for Kitty. I don't think Kitty remembers much about her time living in LA as we left LA before she turned 1. I wasn't surprised when Alice showed me a tiny plastic bucket, shovel, and rake she had bought for Kitty to play at Paradise Cove. She even showed me a matching yellow bikini with daisies for Kitty and I to wear at the beach. I wanted to object that I didn't want to wear a yellow bikini with daisies but with all that Alice has done for me all I could do was smile and thank Alice and gave Ally a big hug. Even though Alice was a few inches shorter than me, at that moment she felt bigger and the hug she gave me made me feel safe and comfortable as if I was in my mother's arms. I kissed Ally goodnight on her cheek and went to bed.

**Edward POV**

I was so relieved when I finally boarded the plane. Before boarding I checked my phone and had a voice mail from Jasper that he and Emmett were now half way to Vegas. He told me that we were booked into Caesar's Palace and not Bellagio. Something about he needed to pick some things up for Ally at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace and thought it would be more convenient if we stayed at Caesar's Palace. I really didn't care where we stayed. He mentioned he got us tickets to see the boxing match at Mandalay Bay in the evening. I hadn't seen a fight in years and I really missed hanging out with the guys so the excitement made me forget all the hassle I endured at O'Hare.

Once I got settled in to my seat, fastened my seat belt, and closed my eyes, I was suddenly hit with the memory of the little girl and the mother I saw in O'Hare. I wondered if they were able to get out of O'Hare to the destination they were flying to. I pulled out the note the mother left for me and stared at the number. Flashes of the picture the little girl showed me of her mother, her father and herself crossed my mind. I wished I was awake and got to talk to her mother before they took off. For all I know they could've flown to New York or Florida and nowhere near me. Even if by miracle they flew to LA, the fact that the little girl's father recently deceased didn't work in my favor either. Such was my luck with woman worthy to have a relationship with. Women constantly hit on me but none were ones I considered worth having a relationship with.

With all the trouble I went through with Jessica in New York and Tanya in Chicago I had no desire to pursue a relationship in the near future. I could've had something with Tanya but with the offer of a position for me in LA and Tanya's role as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet at the MET in New York, the break up was inevitable. She tried to convince me that we could try to have a long distance relationship and didn't need to end our relationship but I told her that with her busy schedule and my schedule I didn't think it was realistic. I wanted to end our relationship while it was still good and didn't want to go through anything ugly. It was easy to imagine the constant bickering and fighting we would start to have once we were apart. Tanya tried to convince me repeatedly that she would move to LA with me, stay till her rehearsal started, and then once the opera season was over she would come back to me in LA.

I felt bad but I think part of me was relieved that we broke up. I didn't feel that Tanya was the one I wanted to marry. She was ambitious, her career was really important to her and I wanted a wife I can come home to every night after work. I am not a male chauvanist. I respect woman and their careers. If my wife wanted a career I would support her but I wanted someone who was not constantly away from me months at a time. Was that so wrong? I was 31 now and the next relationship I wanted to be in was one that I got down on my knee and proposed.

My mind wandered and the next thought that crossed my mind froze me. Whoa! The image was of me standing by the altar smiling at the woman I met in O'Hare, walking down the isle, blushing and smiling at me? I must have lost my mind. I blinked several times to clear the image from my head and immediately pressed the button to ask the flight attendant to bring me some whiskey so that I could relax and catch some sleep. I heard a loud gasp from the flight attendant who came to attend to my call. I looked up immediately and sighed. When was this nightmare going to end?

"Hello Edward. It's been a long time," she said to me using her sexy voice that she uses on men when she wanted something.

"Hello Jessica. Yeah I guess it's been over a year since we last saw each other," I replied back to her clearly showing discomfort. With all the chaos that went on at O'Hare I clearly forgot to mention to Alice to avoid booking me on this airline so that I could avoid running into Jessica ever again.

"How have you been? Why are you flying from Chicago? You don't live in New York anymore?" she asked me as if I had done wrong in not keeping her informed of my whereabouts.

"I moved to Chicago about a year ago" I replied to her and wasn't going to give her the information that I no longer lived in Chicago.

"Huh, I never took you for the kind of guy who would live in Chicago," she said and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"I was never the kind of guy who wanted to live in New York either. I only lived there because YOU wanted to," I said to her with venom in my voice.

My tone of voice made Jessica squint her eyes and made her take a tiny step back from where she was standing. She was at loss for words so I asked for my drink and she darted away from me. I must have really scared her off. Our relationship ended because of her infidelity. I met Jessica in Forks when I was visited my parents 5 years ago and learned that she was Alice's classmate from high school. I lived in Seattle at that time. We bonded quickly and in about a year together we moved to New York.

She wanted to live the life of a socialite. She wanted to use my parents' status and wanted to live the high life. I was too busy with my career as a pediatrician but she took every opportunity to be with me at Galas and charity events. She also accompanied my mother and my father to every possible event she could attend. Once she was in the circle she didn't waste any time and started to cheat on me with the socialites of New York. It didn't take me long to hear about what she was up to. When I confronted her she actually seemed relieved and told me she was leaving me and moved in with a guy who owned several night clubs nationwide.

I really needed a drink and was wondered what took Jessica so long to get me a drink. As I was about to push the call button again, another flight attendant brought me my drink. I realized Jessica didn't want to come near me again so she probably needed to convince another flight attendant. After I caught a few zzzzs I heard the announcement that we were landing in McCarran in half an hour. I was really tired of sitting and couldn't wait to join Jasper and Emmett.

As soon as I landed I checked my phone. Jasper had sent me a message to ask the front desk to send my luggage up to our room and head straight to Serendipity to meet them. Emmett fell in love with the frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity when he visited me in New York and so when he learned that there was a Serendipity in Caesar's Palace he had to have some of that so they decided to wait for me there and that once I join them we were going to head off to Shadow Bar for some drinks.

I picked up my phone to call Jasper as soon as I was in the cab. "Hey Jasper, I'm on my way to the hotel now. Are you guys already at Serendipity?"

"Yup Emmett's on his 2nd round of frozen hot chocolate as we speak," he sighed.

"Seriously, Emmett doesn't need a sugar rush. Who is going to hold him down since Rosalie isn't around?… Anyway, what's the plan for the weekend?"

"Well we'll meet you here at Serendipity then we'll head off to the Shadow Bar. Emmett wants to check out the shadow dancers there. Once we chill out a bit then we'll head out to Mandalay Bay to catch the fight. After that if you're still alive you can join us at the casino or you can go up to the room. Tomorrow I need to go to the Forum Shops to pick up stuff that Ally asked me to, and I also advise you to get something for Ally since you have some serious groveling to do for what you just pulled by not telling her the date of your final move to LA. After some shopping we'll probably grab something to eat and then we could head back home although Emmett wants to go to Stratosphere for some thrill rides and wants to go to Coyote Ugly. "

"Coyote Ugly? Seriously?" I sighed again. I really didn't want to go to a bar that felt like a sardine can filled with college kids. This weekend seemed to turn ugly very quickly.

"Hey, he's your brother. Not mine. You rein him in yourself," he replied and I felt his brows furrowing. I sighed really loud again into the phone. There was no way I could stop Emmett when he was on the roll.

"Emmett must be really excited about this trip," I said to Jasper in a defeated voice.

"You have noooo idea. You didn't spend hours driving into Vegas from LA. He went on nonstop about all the college babes he will get to see without Rosalie around," Jasper bitched to me. It's rare for Jasper to bitch. It must have been an awful drive to Vegas. I was really glad I wasn't in the car with them.

"Well I'm now on the strip and I can see Caesar's Palace now but the road is heavily congested so I won't be there for a while still. I'll give you a call again when I drop my luggage off at the front desk," I informed Jasper.

As soon as I dropped my luggage off at the front desk, I walked towards Serendipity and heard a booming laughter. Yup that laughter belonged to none other than my brother Emmett.

"Hey Lil bro, hurry up!" I heard Emmett yell towards me. All eyes belonging to strangers near him were directed at me as soon as they all heard Emmett. I felt myself blush so I looked down at my feet and headed towards their direction.

I seriously needed a drink to relax so we all headed off to the Shadow Bar immediately. As soon as I had a few drinks I relaxed and felt carefree. After leaving the bar we stopped by a restaurant called Dick's in the Excalibur hotel. Jasper needed to pick up some crazy T shirts there for Ally. I frowned when I saw that the T shirt said, 'Size does matter', of course my sister wanted a T shirt with sexual innuendo. As soon as Jasper finished paying for the T shirts we quickly made our way to the tram that connected Excalibur Hotel to Mandalay Bay and headed off to the boxing match. The fight was exciting and it felt great cheering and yelling. I felt the adrenaline rush and soon I no longer felt stressed or tired.

After the fight we were so fired up so we decided to take a walk down the strip. Emmett suggested that we go grab some drinks at Coyote Ugly. I was going to protest but I was drunk and had so much energy coursing through me my reservation was gone and Coyote Ugly no longer sounded so bad to me. "All right, let's go to Coyote Ugly then," I said to the guys.

"Lil Bro, I love you, I know you'd come through for me," Emmett was so excited he was pumping his fist in the air. Jasper quietly chuckled watching the interaction between Emmett and me. We all bantered to each other on our walk to New York- New York hotel to go to Coyote Ugly. We must have looked quite foolish as I felt a lot of glares coming our way from couples the age of our parents when they passed us on our walk down the strip. I really didn't care. You know what they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

After chugging a few drinks and watching Emmett dance around at Coyote Ugly midst all the young ladies, Jasper suggested we go and watch the fountain show to sober up so we took a cab to Bellagio and went to the Fontana Bar to watch the fountain show. We got some finger food, some fresh juice, and some pale ale. After we were done we walked across the hotel to Caesar's Palace and headed down to the casino. Emmett and Jasper decided to go play a few hands and I set myself down by the slot machines. I said my goodnight to the guys just in case I want to hit the sack soon since I was awake more than 48 hours with only some a zzzs here and there.

**Bella POV**

"Wake up Mommy, wake up," I heard my little girl trying to wake me up. Both Alice and Kathryn were bouncing up and down on the bed.

"Girls settle down, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I said in an annoying tone. I was soooo not a morning person. You'd think when you are a mommy to a 3 year old you were used to waking up early but not in my case. I needed a cup of joe to feel human. "May I please have a human moment girls?" I begged them.

"Hurry and shower Bella. We've already gone out to breakfast a while ago and we're just waiting on you to head out to Paradise Cove," Alice said as she bounced up and down on the bed with Kathryn.

The drive to Malibu was gorgeous. I forgot how serene, calming, and beautiful watching the ocean was. The ocean wind and the smell of salt relaxed me. The air was cool and the sun shined down on us. We were able to get a seating outside on the beach. We ordered the beer steamed jumbo shrimp for appetizer, I ordered the Beach burger to share with Kitty, and Alice ordered the fish tacos. Before coming here Alice told Kitty that Paradise Cove had a really big chocolate cake so Kitty wasn't really into eating much of the burger since she wanted to save room for the cake. I wasn't too happy to fill my daughter with so much sugar but Alice convinced me that it's all in the name of fun and it's not like we were feeding this to her every day so we ordered the mile high chocolate cake for dessert. It was really big and Kitty seemed to be happy with it.

While we watched Kitty play in the sand Alice and I finally got to relax and chat. "So Bella, during breakfast Kitty mentioned you guys met a guy?" she asked suspiciously.

"I won't really call that we met someone. I was asleep and when I woke up I saw Kitty asleep in a guy's lap," I replied back to Ally.

"You mean that's it? You didn't get his number or his name or where he lives?" she looked really shocked.

"Yeah, something like that… I left him a note with my name and number so that I could thank him properly for watching Kitty while I was asleep but he hasn't called me back," I answered Ally feeling a little bummed. I didn't mean to sound bummed I felt so wrong feeling that way so soon after I had lost my husband.

Ally looked at me with understanding in her eyes and said to me, "Bella, there is nothing wrong to move on you know. What you had with Stephen was beautiful, and it will always be beautiful. He will always be in your heart. I know you feel it's too early but don't close your heart. Stephen wouldn't want you to be stuck in time. He would want you to love someone and to be loved by someone. Don't feel guilty about it. You have so much to offer, you have so much love to share."

"Ally …" she stopped me mid sentence.

"I realize nothing may come out of this chance meeting with the man with lime Jello pretty eyes according to Kitty, but keep in mind that there is nothing wrong meeting someone okay? Anyway, I think Kitty's been in the sun long enough, let's go back to my place and freshen up. I think in a few hours Jasper might get back so after we freshen up let's go over to your new apartment and start unpacking," she said while we loaded Kitty's things into the trunk and the leftover cake that we couldn't finish.

On the drive over to Alice's she mentioned to me that after we put Kitty to bed tonight she wanted to go over her plans about me helping her new boutique she planned to open with the new children's line of clothing she'll be designing and about Jasper's plan of opening a photo studio catering just to the clientele of pregnant woman and children inside the boutique.

**Edward POV**

I woke up with a serious case of hangover. I walked out of the bedroom and found Emmett sprawled over the couch asleep drooling on the cushion and Jasper making coffee. Jasper handed me a cup and I sat at the bar with him. "So, what are we up to now?" I asked him in a really quiet voice so that I don't stir the evil creatures hammering in my brain.

"Well I'm thinking since Emmett isn't up yet it probably means that he's going to wake up with an excruciating headache and wouldn't want to do much today. You and I can quickly go to the Forum shop and pick up the 24K gold face mask for Ally at Oro Gold. You should probably find something there for her as well. Then we can come back here and pick up Emmett , go grab some brunch, and head back home to LA," he said and I quickly agreed.

When I came out of the shower Emmett was up with his head resting on the bar counter with regret in his eyes that he drank too much last night. I walked up to Emmett and as softly as possible I suggested, "Em, Jazz and I'm gonna drop by the Forum Shop and pick something up for Ally. You don't look like you are in any condition to go shopping are you? We could pick up the same stuff Jazz is getting for Alice for Rosalie as well. Want us to do that? Then I'm thinking we can drive down to Luxor for buffet brunch since it's at the end of the strip and head back home."

"Thanks guys, you guys are a life saver. Rosie would kill me if I didn't bring her something back," he said with his hand on his forehead and eyes shut.

We headed down to the Forum Shop and quickly made our way to Oro Gold. I was surprised that the 24K gold face mask was 400 dollars but then again I shouldn't be surprised it's Alice we were talking about. Since Jazz was getting that I got Alice the 24K body scrub, 24K sugar exfoliation, and body butter recommended by the girl working there. We picked up another one of the 24K face mask for Rosalie as well so that when Rosalie found out what Jazz got for Alice she wouldn't feel inferior if we got something cheaper than what Alice got. Rosalie was great but she was vain in that sort of way.

When we got back to the hotel Emmett was up and packed and was watching TV looking a little better than he did when he first woke up but still looked really hung over. We checked out, had a hefty brunch at Luxor's buffet, and got back in our car and headed home.

My mind drifted and I started to think about the note the young girl's mother left for me and sighed. "In deep thought, mate? What's causing you to sigh?" Jasper asked me with a worried look.

"It's really not a big deal. I got a number from someone I met in O'Hare" I replied to him but instantly regretted I gave out that information in the presence of Emmett.

"Lil Bro, spill!!! It's a girl right? She's a hottie right? Slip me some skin my man!" Emmett boomed in his seat.

I knew as soon as I let that slip I wouldn't be able to shake Emmett off till I gave him all the info. Although Jasper was being quiet I knew he wanted the info as much as Emmett did when I saw the smirk on his face.

"There really isn't much to tell. I missed an opportunity. I saw a young mother asleep and her daughter crawled up my lap and fell asleep. Then I also fell asleep and when I woke up they were gone. The mother left me a thank you note with her number. That's it," I tried my best to give out the information as cool and collected as I could be.

"Don't tell me you haven't called her back yet right?" he asked me with narrowed eyes. When I didn't reply quickly, Emmet hit his forehead with his hand and yelled. "You dumbass, you don't deserve to be my brother. You are bringing the name of the Cullen men down," he shook his head repeatedly.

"Well it's not too late to call her you know but I wouldn't wait much longer it would be awkward. Call her while you are still fresh in her mind," Jasper quickly commented.

**Jasper POV**

I wasn't surprised that Edward hadn't called the girl back yet. He was always used to women coming to him than him seeking them out. Then Emmett started to ask him to describe what she looked like and what her name was I was taken by surprise. Edward described the young mother to a T as if he was talking about Bella. He said the little girl's name was Kitty with marine blue eyes, and then when he mentioned that the mother's name was Isabella I put it all together. Edward met Bella in O'Hare!

I don't think Emmett was sharp enough to put two and two together. I decided to keep this information to myself till I spoke to Ally and I wanted to see the number Edward had to compare it with the number I had of Bella's. I decided to check in with Alice so I picked up my phone and decided to call her. "Hello my darling, how are you today?" I said as soon as she picked up.

"Jazz baby! We're good. We're good. We just left Paradise Cove and we're on the way back to my place. After we freshen up we're planning to go to Bella's apartment to start unpacking for a few hours then take them back to my place again. Will you be going straight back to your place? Maybe you can join us for dinner?" she asked sweetly.

"That sounds good. Emmett's going to drop Edward and me at my place. We're gonna chill a little while before I drive Edward back to his new place. Then I'll I join you guys for dinner," I replied to her.

"Ring me when you get in so that I can swing by your place before you drive Edward to his apartment. Bella's only a floor above your apartment so this arrangement is really working out well. I miss you Jazzy!" she said and we said our goodbyes.

***************

A/N

Thank you for reading my story. It would be great if you could take a moment and leave me a review! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3 Wheel of Fortune

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot.

There was a question in regards to the age of the characters so I want to address it here. Bella and Alice are both 26 yrs old. Emmett is 32 soon to be 33, Edward is 31, Jasper is 30, and Rosalie is 28.

**Chapter 3 Wheel of Fortune**

**Characters: Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, Kathryn, and Esme**

**Alice POV**

While we were freshenedup back at my place from Paradise Cove I got a call from my Mom that she's at Bella's apartment right now. "Bella, Mom's in your apartment right now. She wants to run final check with you so that all of the furnishing and drapery is the correct one you wanted. We should head out there as soon as you're ready," I yelled out to Bella from my bedroom so that she could hear me.

"Ummm I'm not sure what you mean Ally. Esme is in town? What do you mean she wants to run final check?" Bella sounded confused as I forgot to mention to her that I had Mom's help getting Bella's apartment set up and that she stayed at Rosalie and Emmett's place for the past 3 weeks.

"Bella, I love to shop and I love to design clothing but I'm no interior decorator. When I told Mom that you were moving back to LA and that Jasper secured the apartment above his floor she offered to help in furnishing your apartment," I told Bella so that she could understand why my Mom was in her apartment. I was really thankful that my Mom was able to help me out since I was with Bella in Chicago when Jasper secured the apartment and Jasper couldn't do it alone. Bella was like her own daughter to my Mom. Like a twin sister to me in my Mom's mind as we were like joined at the hips from our junior year in high school. We've always been together except the last 2 years when she relocated to Chicago to treat Stephen's cancer. Shortly after Bella bathed Kitty and dressed her we drove to Bella's new apartment.

The door was open to the apartment and as soon as my Mom heard our voices she ran towards the door and pulled Bella, Kathryn, and I together and group hugged us. "My beautiful girls, oh I missed you all so much," she said and gave all of us a kiss on our cheeks.

"I missed you too Esme. I don't know how to thank you for all you've done for me." Bella said to my Mom with tears in her eyes

"No need to thank me Bella. I just want you and Kathryn to be happy and you have already made me happy by moving back here," she said and I could tell she really meant it. She constantly worried while Bella was in Chicago. She actually made several trips with my Dad to see Bella and my Dad was the one who suggested his oncologist friend in Chicago. I never told Bella that when I mentioned to Mom that I was going to convince Bella to move back to LA, my Mom suggested that if Bella wouldn't agree to moving back to LA, she would love to have Bella and Kitty move back to Forks and live with them.

Shortly after we finished going through all the rooms and made sure everything was in order I got a call from Jasper. "Hello darling, Edward and I are back at my place now. Whereabouts are you?" Jasper asked me. I received a strange text from Jasper few hours ago which mentioned that he didn't want Bella or Kitty to run into Edward at his apartment and that as soon as he explained to me what's going on we had something to scheme about. What he wrote to me was quite cryptic but I went along with it.

"Jasper baby, I'm in Bella's apartment with Mom and Bella. I got your text message and I'm cool with it. I was thinking of suggesting Mom to take Bella and Kitty to go to Ralph's to stock up Bella's fridge." I replied back to Jasper and made sure I hadn't given out any kind of information that would lead Bella and Mom to think something suspicious went on since Bella and my Mom stood right near me in Bella's living room.

"All right darling, drop by as soon as you can then," Jasper said and hung up.

Mom and Bella agreed that my suggestion was a great idea so they all took off to Ralph's shortly after. As soon as they left I went down to Jasper's apartment but I was confused that Edward wasn't there. "Where's Edward?" I asked Jasper.

"Oh Edward just went down the street to pick up some stuff to stock his fridge before we head down to his apartment. He suggested I stay here so that I can catch up with you," he said nonchalantly.

"Umm are you sure that's safe? You texted me that you didn't want Edward running into Bella and I just sent Mom, Bella, and Kitty to go grocery shopping to Ralph's," I said to Jasper with concern. "Anyway, spill, what are we going to be scheming about?" I asked Jasper so that he could explain to me why he didn't want Edward running into Bella.

"Sweetheart, has Bella mentioned something about giving her number to a guy she met at O'Hare?" Jasper asked me.

"Huh, how do you know that?" I asked Jasper as I was sure I didn't have a chance to tell him about it since I only heard about it from Bella today.

"Guess what sweetheart, that was Edward who Kitty and Bella met at O' Hare," Jasper said with a smirk on his face.

I got so excited I couldn't stop myself and bounced up and down with joy. "Of course, Of course, lime Jello colored eyes! Why didn't I realize that it was Edward who she was talking about? They were both in O'Hare at the same time, was supposed to get on the same flight, both probably sat in the same waiting area by the gate they were supposed to board the plane if nothing went wrong. I'm so stupid!" I said and smacked my forehead.

"Now you agree with me why I didn't think it was a great idea for Edward to run into Bella yet right?" Jasper asked me.

Quite frankly I still didn't catch on to what we were supposed to scheme about and why Jasper didn't think it was a good idea for Bella to run into Edward. "I'm happy to know that it was my brother who Bella ran into but I still don't understand why it's not a good idea and what is there to scheme about," I replied to Jasper confused.

"Do you really think that Edward is going to call Bella in the next few days? Even if he called you know your brother has never approached a woman himself. I'm sure you want them to get together but you know we need to ease Bella into it since it's only been a month since Stephen passed away. If the way Edward approaches Bella is too strong it would scare Bella and she will close herself off to him. Don't you agree with me?" Jasper said and I fully understood how sensitive this situation was.

"Well Jazzy how interested is Edward anyway about Bella? I know Bella has shown interest but she is already feeling guilty about it and I needed to give a speech to her earlier today that it was okay for her to fall in love again and move on blah blah blah, " I said while I tried to grasp the whole picture.

"Judging by how Edward reacted I think he's really interested. He really looked bummed that he hadn't acted on calling Bella. Both Bella and Kit-Kat seems to be on his mind more often than he wished to I think. There are so many people we need to control like we are playing the game of chess. At the moment Emmett only knows that Edward met a woman at the airport but he doesn't know that Isabella is Bella. Rosalie doesn't know yet but will probably hear from Emmett about Edward's interest in a woman he met at the airport as soon as Emmett tells her and she will probably drill Edward for information the first opportunity she gets. As soon as Edward describes them to her I think Rosalie will realize that the woman is Bella, and your parents know nothing about this. We need to do this strategically and limit giving out information on a need to know basis," Jasper explained to me.

We both sunk in deeper into the couch and contemplated about the situation.

**Edward POV**

As I drove I realized that I headed towards the wrong direction but I saw Ralph's so I pulled into the parking lot. I grabbed a cart and started going down the isle picking up things to stock my fridge. Since I wasn't at the deli where I originally planned to go to pick up just bare necessities, now that I was at a large supermarket I thought I might as well fully stock my fridge.

While I walked towards the isle to pick up some cereal I encountered a sight that I did not anticipate. I saw a little girl who looked just like the girl from O'Hare zipping across the isle where I stood, then immediately after the little girl turned the corner, I saw a woman running after her yelling out the name Kathryn and I was shocked to see that the woman looked so much like my Mom. I was dumbfounded and shook my head to get rid of the image of what I thought I just saw. I really must have drunk way too much in Vegas that now my mind played tricks or I missed my Mom subconsciously. I should call my Mom tonight. I almost considered texting my Mom if she was at Ralph's but decided against it so that I don't worry my Mom that I was seeing things that aren't real.

**Jasper POV**

I was standing by the window and saw Edward pull into the parking space. As I was about to tell Alice that Edward was back there was a knock on the door and Alice went to get it. Alice opened the door and in came Kitty skipping into my apartment. I immediately told Alice that her brother was back. Panic ran across Alice's face and she immediately challenged Kitty who can run back to Bella's apartment the fastest and Kitty flew out of the apartment. It was close but we were able to contain the situation or so we thought.

**Edward POV**

When I went up the stairs to get to Jasper's place I froze. I swear I saw the little girl from O'Hare again running up to the 3rd floor. I shook my head again and made it to Jasper's apartment. I saw Alice sitting on the couch with Jasper.

Alice got off the couch and with a smirk gave me a hug. "How's my lovely brother. Thanks for the gift by the way. I love it. I would've said you didn't have to do such a thing but I think I deserved to be pampered by you so I won't," she said with a giggle.

"I'm glad you liked it," I said to Alice and went to the recliner. I sat down and sighed.

"What's wrong brother? Are you tired? Did you have too much fun in Vegas?" Alice asked me.

"I hope I'm just tired. My mind seems to be playing tricks on me," I said with strain in my voice.

Jasper looked confused and asked. "What do you mean your mind is playing tricks on you?"

"I don't know where to begin without sounding like I lost my mind. When I got in the car I went the wrong direction and ended up at Ralph's which worked out for me but then I think I hallucinated because I think I saw Mom running inside Ralph's chasing after the girl I met at O'Hare, and then just now I thought I saw that little girl again," I said feeling defeated.

After I told them about what happened I thought I saw something in both Jasper and Alice's eyes. When I raised my eyebrow Alice quickly said, "I have no clue about some girl you met at O'Hare but I think you really saw Mom at Ralph's," Alice said to me. "Mom and my best friend were at Ralph's to stock my best friend's fridge. Mom's been helping me decorate her apartment." Alice explained to me to assure me that at least the part where I saw Mom at Ralph's was not a hallucination. "What's this about a girl you met at O'Hare?" She asked and I realized I just opened Pandora's box. Now I'll never get Alice off my back. I silently cursed to myself.

"Jasper can fill you in Alice. Hey Jasper, you think you can give me a lift back to my place? I bought some perishable items and didn't want to bring the groceries back into your place so they are sitting in the trunk of your car," I informed Jasper.

Jasper nodded and gave me a lift back to my place. I quickly thanked him for all of what went on this weekend and that I had a lot of fun. He quickly sped back to his apartment. I stocked the fridge and went to lie down on my bed.

**Alice POV**

Mom decided not to join us for dinner and went back to Emmett's place. Bella took Kitty to Kitty's new bedroom for her nap but when I went to check in on them since Bella hadn't returned, I found Bella also asleep in Kitty's bed. I decided to let the both of them nap until dinner time. I sent a text message to Jasper that I'll be waiting for him at his place till he gets back as we still need to do some serious brain storming to strategically plan the course of becoming the cupid for Edward and Bella.

As soon as Jasper was back we went into scheming mode. "I think I have an idea," Jasper said confidently. "How about having a house warming party at Bella's and we can invite Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, and your Mom. The initial shock factor between Edward and Bella won't be too bad since they would be with us and not just the two of them alone. They'll feel comforted that we're around and won't have to go through any awkwardness of the first date. Heck they won't feel like it's a date and I think that's what we are looking for. It would be the perfect way to ease them into getting to know each other. From there we can start including both of them to dinners, movies, and what not. What do you think Alice?" he asked and I nodded to show that I was satisfied with his suggestion. I smiled, hugged, and gave him a kiss.

Bella gave me a call that she was up from their nap and I told her to meet us at the parking lot to go out to dinner. Jazz and I decided we wanted something casual but fun so we took Bella and Kitty to Versailles for some Cuban food. Once we were seated at the restaurant I realized that I needed to discuss the housewarming party to Bella.

"Soooo Bella now that your apartment is almost set up, how about a housewarming party this weekend?" I asked Bella with puppy eyes. I knew Bella couldn't refuse my puppy eyes. "I think it would make Esme really happy if she could show off her work to all of us kids." I pushed further even taking advantage of Bella's selfless nature as she hates attention so I needed to pull something so that she will agree to it. Even Kitty joined me and begged Bella to throw the party and with such an angelic smile coming from Kitty there was no way Bella could refuse.

"Well if it makes you and Esme happy, I owe you two so much for all that you have done for me, how can I refuse?" Bella said with a sweet smile on her face.

Kitty and I were thrilled and we bounced up and down and clapped our hands. "I'll take care of all the details. You just have to be in your apartment. I'll call my family. I want to invite my brother Edward too as he has never met you." I informed Bella so that she won't have to stress over anything. Bella nodded to me with relief in her eyes.

I told Bella that I wanted to spend the night with Jasper. Her things were still at my place so we dropped Kitty and Bella off at my apartment and Jasper and I went back to his place.

When we settled into the couch I raised a point I wanted to address about Edward and Bella. "Jazzy, I still want something romantic to happen for Bella and Edward the day they meet. Housewarming isn't exactly romantic." I said to Jasper and he looked into my eyes with understanding.

"What do you suggest darling?" Jasper asked me. Now that was the million dollar question. There were so many romantic places and things to do in LA.

Then suddenly I remembered that on Sunday there was going to be a special event of the season at Griffith observatory. "I have the perfect idea! We can all go to the Cosmic Conjunction. The event includes pre-concert reception, gourmet picnic basket dinner, and finally concert on the front lawn of the observatory. My parents are very active members of the Friends of the Observatory (FOTO) and they keep making huge contributions so tickets and great seating could be arranged I think. Since Mom is here arrangement for this would be easier and she could watch Kitty at home for Bella."

"I love you Tinkerbelle. You're the best. You never cease to amaze me. I knew you would come up with something original. I'm sure it will be a very memorable night for Bella and Edward. Griffith Observatory is such a romantic place at night that they will both be able to cherish visiting there continuously." Jasper said with dreamy eyes. I was sure at that moment he was visualizing Bella and Edward together at the observatory.

Now that we had our strategy in place, I was on a mission to make sure everything went perfect. The first thing on my list was to call Edward. "Hello brother. If I remember correctly you don't start working at the clinic till next week right? My best friend is throwing a housewarming party on Sunday. Mom decorated her apartment and would want to show it off to all us kids so please make the whole day available," I told Edward in a rather commanding tone but not too strong to make him feel intimidated.

"Ummm well, sure. I don't have anything planned and it'll be a great opportunity to get together as a family. I guess it's been long overdue to meet your best friend. How long was it that you've been friends with her?" Edward asked me.

"Well I've known her since my junior year in high school so I guess it's been 9 years already. Wow. I hadn't realized it's been that long. Almost 10 years soon." I answered Edward but I felt like the answer to his question was more beneficial to me. I reflected back on the history I had with Bella. Images rushed through my head such as the first day I saw Bella at school in the cafeteria, numerous shopping trips I dragged Bella to, sleep over, Prom, crazy college days, the first time she met Stephen, touring with the band, Bella's pregnancy… then I was cut off by Edward. I totally forgot I was still on the phone with Edward.

"Alice, so what time should I get there? Anything I should bring?" Edward asked me. Good thinking bro for asking me. I needed him to bring something that would make an impression on Bella. Oooh and I know the perfect item! Something I'm sure Bella missed while she lived in Chicago and something she really loved! Oh yeah!

"Edward, I need you to go to Beverly Hills. Go to Sprinkles and buy cupcakes. Buy like 3 dozens. Call ahead and place the order so that all you have to do is pick them up. Make one of the dozen all Red Velvet as those are Bella's favorites. For the other 2 dozens get 3 each of Peanut butter chocolate, lemon, chocolate marshmallow, dark chocolate, carrot, cinnamon sugar, vanilla, and milk chocolate. I'll text you Sprinkles' number and the directions to get there later." I informed Edward.

"How many of us are going to be there at the housewarming? You want me to pick up 36 cupcakes?" Edward asked me as if I was crazy.

"There are only 8 of us but I want Bella to be able to save some Red Velvet for herself and Mom to take some home to Dad. You know having Emmett chances are even with 3 dozens there might not be enough left for Mom to take back to Dad," I retorted.

"Ah, you're right. I forgot about Emmett's sweet tooth. Maybe I should get an extra dozen for Mom. I know Dad will appreciate them," he said understanding the situation that I wasn't exaggerating that 3 dozens may not be enough.

"I'll text you all the info including time you need to arrive at Bella's okay," I said to my brother and said our goodbyes.

Jasper glanced at me from the couch and gave me thumbs up. I felt really proud of myself that everything was in motion. The wheel now turned in our favor. All left to do was to call Mom.

"Hi Mom, I talked to Bella and we want to throw a housewarming party on Sunday and wanted you to be there. I've already called Edward and he's coming, after I finish speaking to you I'll be calling Rosalie and Emmett. I also need you to pull some strings for me." I told Mom in the sweetest voice I could muster.

"What kind of strings dear? What would you need me to do?" Mom asked me sounding a little scared.

"There's a special event at Griffith Observatory on Sunday night. I know it's really last minute but since you and Dad contribute so much I was thinking you could probably secure us tickets for the event. It's really important that we get these tickets. I really would like 6 tickets so that Bella, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and I can all go. Worst case scenario 4 tickets so that Bella, Edward, Jasper and I can go but I'm scared about the wrath of Rosalie if she finds out that she's wasn't invited. Can you also babysit Kitty that night if you are able to secure the tickets?" I asked my Mom.

"All right dear, theoretically it doesn't sound so hard but it is so last minute. I guess we may really need to pull some strings. Someone else might need to get bumped off so all you kids can go but why is it so important? I know that tone of voice Alice. I know you are hiding something from me," oops I was caught dead by Mom.

I debated whether I should tell Mom and get her on board the 'Mission Cupid' or not. I thought about it hard and decided to go with getting Mom on board. "All right Mom you caught me. Here's what's going on. I'll just give you the Cliffsnotes version now and give you the details later. Basically Bella and Edward both met someone they felt an attraction to at O'Hare during the chaos at the airport. Turns out the guy Bella left her number with is Edward and the young woman with a small child that Edward has been dreaming about is Bella. Bella doesn't know that it is Edward who she met there, and Edward doesn't know the Isabella with the little girl is actually our Bella. Considering the fact that they are both shy and not very experienced in this field and on top of that it's only been a month since Stephen passed away we want to control the pace the relationship develops. A housewarming party isn't a very romantic situation so I wanted them to end the night at the Griffith Observatory event." I quickly gave all the information Mom needed to know to understand the situation.

"That's a wonderful idea Alice. I'm so proud of you that you care for your brother and Bella so much that you carefully planned all this. Oh I really hope things work out between Bella and Edward. Then she can really become my daughter. Both Edward and Bella deserve the best and I think they are perfect for each other. Oh Alice it's all so exciting. I'm so glad you got me on board. I'll go ahead and call Carlisle tonight so that he can deal with the ticket situation first thing in the morning and since I'm still here I can personally visit anyone I need to butter up or threaten to secure those tickets for my lovely children," Mom answered me with determination in her voice.

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**A/N**

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please take a moment and leave me a review. Reviews help me write faster and better. Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4 Six of Cups

**A/N**

**Disclaimer : Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot.

Thank you for reading my story. I'd appreciate it if you would please leave me a review.

As with the previous chapters the places and restaurants mentioned in the story are real, places I've been, and I have double checked to make sure they are all still around.

**Chapter 4 Six of Cups**

**Characters: Esme, Carlisle, Alice, Jasper, Bella, and Kathryn (Kitty)**

**Esme POV**

"Hello Carlisle, I'm sorry to call you so late but I need a favor from you. It would mean a lot to me if you could do everything in your power to make it happen. I need 6 tickets for the event on Sunday at Griffith Observatory," I begged Carlisle over the phone as soon as I finished talking to Alice.

Carlisle must have sensed the desperation in my voice and he quickly tried to calm me down. "Esme slow down. Please tell me what stirred you up like this. I have a feeling one of our dear children had a hand in putting you in this state, but please explain to me so that I can understand what is going on."

I instantly regretted that I didn't take a moment to simulate the conversation I would have with Carlisle. I should have anticipated his line of questioning. I quickly decided to give him only the basics. If Carlisle found out that I'm meddling in our children's business he wouldn't be too happy. He would more than likely tell me to back off and wouldn't cooperate to secure the tickets.

"Carlisle dear, you know how much Alice and I have been worried about Bella. Bella's going to be having a housewarming party on Sunday and for the evening both Alice and I want to do something special for her. Alice remembered that there is a special event coming up at Griffith Observatory on Sunday and asked me for help to secure some tickets so that she could take Bella to the event. I haven't done anything special for Rosalie and Emmett after they moved to LA either and now that Edward is also in town I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to let our kids enjoy an evening under the stars together. You remember how much our children loved going to Griffith Observatory growing up don't you? With all that Bella went through I think an evening under the stars listening to music would be very therapeutic for her," I said to Carlisle trying to convince him that these were the reasons and that I had no ulterior motive.

Thankfully Carlisle bought my reasoning. It wasn't a lie. I really felt that way too. Just that I didn't tell him more of what's behind this event. "Oh of course dear, I'll call the Volturi brothers tomorrow. I'm sure they can help us out. If necessary I will make arrangements to fly down there myself to secure the tickets. Would you also like to go dear?" He asked.

Relief rushed through me as soon as Carlisle agreed to help. "I would like Bella to enjoy the evening without having to take care of Kathryn and I haven't been able to spend much time with her the last few years since they left for Chicago so I want to take this opportunity to spend the evening alone with Kitty," I replied to Carlisle.

"Hmm now that you mention it I really miss Bella and Kitty too. I also want to thank Eleazar for offering Edward the position at his clinic. Regardless of whether I have trouble in getting the tickets or not I might consider flying down to LA," Carlisle said and I was thrilled.

"Carlisle! What a wonderful idea. I'm sure Bella and Kitty would love to see you. I also miss you. I've had dinner with Eleazar and Carmen a few times since I've been here and they have wanted to see you. Do you think you can come down here few days before Sunday?" I asked Carlisle hoping that he could.

"Ideally I would like to go down there on Thursday. When I make calls to inquire about the tickets if they give me hard time I'll need to go down there tomorrow or the day after at the latest. I'll let you know tomorrow my dear. As soon as my arrival date is fixed please call Eleazar so that we can get together with him and Carmen for dinner or drinks," he said and we said our goodbyes.

**Alice POV**

Mom and Dad followed through and they were able to get our tickets for the event tomorrow night at Griffith Observatory. Dad flew in on Thursday. Dad said he wanted to spend an evening with Bella and Kitty before the housewarming so tonight Jazz, Bella, Kitty and I are going to join Mom and Dad for dinner. Dad said he wanted to eat seafood so I made reservations at Water grill. Water grill is one my favorite seafood restaurant. I love that they have variety of oysters from different parts of the U.S. and Canada. Their desserts are really original and go very well with their wine selection. They have a fabulous wine list so I know Mom and Dad would love it there. Mom and Dad plan to meet Eleazar and Carmen after dinner for drinks so I suggested that they go to the Gallery Bar and Cognac Room in the Millennium Biltmore Hotel as it's just around the corner from Water grill. The Gallery Bar and Cognac Room is the epitome of old-school class so I'm sure the four of them will have a lovely time there. They don't have any food service there but their liqueurs, wines, and cocktails are superb. Mom and Dad decided to check into the Millennium Biltmore Hotel for the night so that they wouldn't have to go back to Emmett's place after their drinks with Eleazar and Carmen.

**Bella POV**

I got a call from Alice that she decided on us all going to Water grill for dinner. I'm a little worried since Kitty isn't much into seafood yet. She viewed seafood as friends from the Little Mermaid. The Cullens are into fine dining and Water grill is a fabulous restaurant but not really child friendly. I'll probably have to make some mac and cheese for Kitty when we get back home.

While I fixed Kitty's hair I got a call from Jasper that he'll meet us in 10 minutes by his car. "All righty Kitty let's go and eat. Remember what I told you earlier? I'll get you a small plate so that you can share the food I get and if Ally or someone else suggests you try some of their food please try to have at least a bite from them so that you can see what it tastes like okay?" I reminded Kitty.

"But Mommy I don't want to eat Sebstian, Inkspot, and Swifty," she said with a frown.

"How about we order chicken or steak there then baby? The chicken is really good and it even comes with some ravioli." I assured her so that she wouldn't have to eat her friends from her favorite Disney story. She frowned but nodded that it was okay.

We made it down to Jasper's car and I was about to go to my car to grab Kitty's child seat but Alice stopped me and pointed towards the backseat of Jasper's car. "Jazzie went and got a child seat for his back seat today for Kitty," she said with a satisfactory smile.

I gasped when I saw the child seat, "oh Jasper you didn't. I don't know how to thank you two. If you two keep pampering us so much we are going to be spoiled rotten." Kitty looked inside Jasper's car and got really excited and jumped up and down shaking Alice's arm for her to open the door so she can try her new child seat.

Once we settled in the car I leaned over to the passenger seat and whispered to Alice. "Alice do you think you can avoid ordering lobster, shrimp, and octopus? Kitty is afraid we are all going there to eat her friends from the Little Mermaid." I told her.

"Oh no. I didn't think of that," she said and slapped her forehead. Jasper glanced over and looked confused. Alice looked at Jasper, mouthed the word 'later', and waved her hand to signal Jasper not to worry about it.

We made it into the restaurant and found Esme and Carlisle already seated at our table. I brought a little booster seat just in case they don't have a chair that Kitty could sit properly in and to avoid having to keep Kitty in my lap while I ate.

"We took the liberty and ordered the Oyster Sampler Alice wanted, crab cakes, Blue Cheese and Apricot Salad, and clam chowder especially for Kitty as soon as we were seated so that Kitty wouldn't have to wait long till the food came." Esme said to me.

I smiled and thanked Esme for being so considerate of Kitty. Once I glanced over the menu I selected Jidori chicken as promised to Kitty. The starters came while we still glanced at the menu to select the main dish and I saw Kitty scowl at the oysters. Then I heard giggles from Esme and Carlisle.

"Do the oysters look icky to you Kitty?" Carlisle asked Kitty and chuckled.

"Well they say oysters are the garbage eaters of the sea," Jasper said and earned a slap behind his head from Alice, a death glare from Esme, and Kitty looked appalled.

Carlisle laughed but quickly tried to defuse the potentially ugly situation. "Oysters are high in zinc which help growth in children, help repair wounds, boosts immunity and they are also high in B12 as well. They are really good for you Kitty. Would you like to try one?" he asked.

Kitty stared at the oysters and bit her lower lip. I must have passed this habit on to Kitty as I also bite my lower lip when I am nervous.

Alice quickly jumped into the conversation and said, "Hey Dad there isn't that many of them. I don't want to share," she said and stuck her tongue out playfully. Kitty looked relieved that she wouldn't have to try them and Carlisle laughed.

We enjoyed our dinner and while we glanced over the dessert menu, Kitty frowned as she was still hungry and started to fuss. "Mommy I'm hungry, I want hotdogs," she said.

Then Alice jumped into the conversation, "Hey Bella, how bout we take Kitty to Pink's? Oooh I want the Martha Stewart dog," she said excitedly.

"Alice, you just had a full course meal," Jasper gasped.

"I always have room for Pink's, right Bella?" Alice said and looked at me for support.

"I guess we can go to Pink's. I haven't been there in years and Kitty misses Portillo's hotdogs. We used to eat them all the time in Chicago. Maybe she'll like Pink's more than Portillo's," I said.

Since we decided to go to Pink's we decided to forgo desserts. We quickly thanked Esme and Carlisle for dinner, they left for drinks with Eleazar and Carmen, and we got into Jasper's car to go to Pink's.

It didn't take long to get to Pink's. Jasper said he was already decided and asked us to get the Mullholland drive dog and root beer for him so that he could go and grab a table for us while we stood in line. Alice decided on getting the Martha Stewart dog like she said, and Kitty and I decided on sharing the Lord of the "Rings" dog.

It felt good chilling out eating hotdogs. It reminded me of days when Stephen, Jasper, Alice, and I used to come here on weekends before we went clubbing. Jasper seemed to sense what I was thinking about and he dragged his chair closer to me, wrapped his arm around my shoulder, rested his head on me and said, "I miss him too Bella."

I realized that even though I was married to Stephen, Jasper had known Stephen much longer than I. Stephen was Jasper's friend from college. They started their band their freshman year.

Alice met Jasper our senior year in high school when she went shopping to Seattle. She met him at a club where Jasper and Stephen was playing. It was love at first sight for them. Jasper was the reason Alice and I went to college in Seattle. For a year while we were still in high school Alice and Jasper took turns and visited each other on weekends.

In college I was on scholarship so I really had to study on weekdays. I worked both weekday and weekends which was the reason why I never got to go and watch Jasper's band play until my senior year in college when I finally got some down time.

The final year with Stephen was hard though. He knew he didn't have much time left. He was in pain but he really tried his best to enjoy the time he had left with Kitty and I. We went out as often as we could and we filmed and took as many pictures we could as Stephen wanted to leave as much memory of him for Kitty to see after he was gone. He was afraid that unless there were pictures and videos to remind Kitty of him she wouldn't remember him since she was so young. I think the motivation to be with Kitty and I as long as he could was what helped him stay with us for 2 years after his cancer diagnosis. The doctor had given him less than a year after he was diagnosed but he was able to be with us for 2 years. He will be in our hearts forever. He was a caring and loving friend, husband, and father. Stephen wrote letters to Kitty to be given to her every birthday till she turns 21. He also wrote a song for Kitty for her 16th birthday and asked Jasper to sing for her when she turned 16 because when he finished writing the song he no longer had the strength to sing and record it himself.

Kitty fell asleep on Alice's lap at Pink's so Jasper carried her back to the car and tucked her in her child seat. The drive back home from Pink's was quiet. The memories of Stephen filled our hearts and minds.

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A/N

Thank you for reading my story. Please leave me a review!


	5. Chapter 5 The Fool

**A/N**

**Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot.

**Chapter 5 The Fool **

**Characters: Alice, Jasper, Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmett, Edward, Bella, and Kathryn (Kitty)**

**Alice POV **

I woke up early and headed out to Bella's to help her prepare for the housewarming party. When I got to her place my Mom and Dad were already there having breakfast with Kitty and Bella. I told Bella I'll watch Kitty while they prepared the food for the housewarming since I can't cook. We had several hours to kill till the party so I decided to take Kitty to her favorite store, The American Girl Place! I have been considering having her 4th birthday party there so I'm hoping to get some details while I'm there. I quietly snuck into Kitty's room and grabbed her Bitty Baby and shoved it into my shirt in my back so that Bella doesn't catch me taking it outside. Then we said our goodbyes to Mom and Bella and headed out without telling them exactly where we were going. I know if I mentioned anything about going to the American Girl Place Bella would object because she knows I would end up buying lots of things for Kitty.

"Would you like to go to American Girl Place?" I asked Kitty as soon as we were out the door. Kitty shrieked so loud I was afraid that Esme and Bella would come running out the door. I picked Kitty up, ran down the stairs, jumped into the car, and sped off to the store.

Once we got to the store I took Kitty and headed straight to the section where I could get a matching outfit for Kitty and her Bitty Baby. I found a little pink dress called birthday dress that had a little cupcake appliqué on her chest and the skirt part had patterns of different kinds of donuts and cupcakes that looked really adorable. It even came with a matching white little cardigan so I decided to get that as well.

"Do you want a picture taken with your new matching dress with your Bitty baby?" I asked Kitty. Kitty shrieked and clapped her hands in joy. She was so happy that she skipped to the photo studio inside the store. I changed Kitty and her Bitty doll into the new outfit I got them and got in line to get their picture taken for their original cover of the American girl magazine. Thankfully we were one of the first ones entering the store when it opened so we were 2nd in line to get the picture taken.

When we were finished with taking the pictures Kitty looked toward the direction of the Café, "can we get something to eat?"Kitty asked me pointing to the café in the store.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry. Your mommy is expecting you to eat lunch at home. But Uncle Emmett, Aunty Rosalie, Grandpa Carlisle, Grandma Esme, and Jazzy will be there." I said to Kitty hoping that she'll feel better knowing the fact that my family will be there to play with her when we get back. I decided to surprise her though. I made a reservation for 3 people from 5:30 for dinner. I'll just have to convince Mom and Dad to take Kitty here tonight for dinner while we all go to the event at the Griffith Observatory. I chuckled imagining my parents inside this store sitting with Kitty in the café that looked like a dollhouse while I took Kitty's hand and headed back to my car.

As I was pulling into the parking space at Bella's I got a call from Edward. "Hey Alice, I just picked up the cupcakes now and I'm on the way to the apartment. I just got 3 dozen since Dad is in town and Mom wouldn't need to take any back to him." He said.

"Good thinking bro. I totally forgot that we didn't need extra cupcakes anymore. All right, see you in like 20 minutes then," I said to Edward and hung up.

I quickly called Jasper while I headed towards his apartment. "Hey Jazzy, I just got back and Edward is on his way here. I'm assuming Dad is at your place hanging out with you while Bella and Mom cook right? So I assume you can't really have this conversation with me so I'll do all the talking. I'm going up the stairs to your apartment as we speak. I'm gonna drop Kitty off at your place. I want to surprise Edward again. When you see Edward pull into the parking space give me a call. Once I hear Edward's footsteps by Bella's door, I'll give you 1 ring. That's your cue to send Kitty running into Bella's. I think the timing will be perfect. When Edward walks into Bella's, Kitty will be flying into the apartment and shock the hell out of Edward again. I'm gonna keep my camera ready so that I can take the picture of Edward's face when he sees Kitty. I'll also alert Mom to bring Bella out from the kitchen to greet Edward as soon as I say 'Edward's here'. I need you to come to Bella's as soon as Kitty runs out so that you can also take a picture of Bella when she sees Edward." I said grinning at the thought of how funny Edward was going to look.

"Aye Aye, Sir," Jasper said to me as he was opening the door for me to let Kitty into his apartment. I gave Jasper a kiss and headed to Bella's to prepare for Edward's arrival.

In just a little while Jazz called me that Edward was here pulling into the parking space so I went to the door and listened in on his footsteps and as soon as I heard Edward's footsteps by the door I rung Jazz's phone once to alert Jazz to send Kitty over.

As soon as Edward rang the doorbell I opened the door and greeted him. Just as Edward started walking towards the kitchen to drop off the cupcakes Kitty flew in and brushed past Edward. Edward froze and dropped the bag that held the boxes of cupcakes. When I looked into his face had turned white, his jaw dropped, and his mouth was wide open. I snapped a shot of Edward but he didn't seem to notice the flash go off.

Kitty turned around to towards Edward when she heard the sound of the boxes of cupcake falling behind her. When she saw who it was she shrieked and screamed, "Edward!" sped back towards him, and clung onto Edward's legs.

Edward still stood there frozen and now his eyes were wide open. Just as Jazz and Dad entered the apartment and stood right behind Edward, Bella and Mom came out of the kitchen to greet Edward. I heard a loud gasp from Bella and I saw Jazz take a picture of Bella. It was some sight watching the two of them with their mouth wide open staring at each other. My mom was the first to break the silence when she started giggling.

Dad was the first one to actually mouth a word. "Would someone care to explain to me what is going on?" he asked with a very confused look on his face.

I silently lead Edward to set him down on the couch and Kitty made her way onto his lap with Bitty baby clutched in her arm. My mom then escorted Bella to the couch as well. They both sat there agape. I started to see irritation on my Dad's face that no one has answered his question yet but I decided to ignore him. I faced Bella and said, "Bella, this is my brother Edward," then faced Edward and said, "Edward, this is my best friend Bella." I tried to introduce them casually as if I didn't know what was going on. Mom grabbed Dad's hand and led him into the kitchen probably to explain what was going on.

Edward was the first one to break out of the trance, stuck his hand out for a shake, and introduced himself, "Hi Bella. I'm Alice's brother Edward," he smiled.

Bella stuck her hand out to shake his hand and started to try to make a coherent sentence but failed miserably. "Umm… Umm… you… airport…Kitty," was all she could say.

Edward seemed to understand what she was trying to convey and replied. "Yeah, I'm the one from O'Hare. Thanks for leaving me the note. I would have worried about your daughter if I didn't have the note since I fell asleep as well." He said to Bella with the happiest smile I have ever seen on my brother.

I noticed that Rosalie and Emmett had now joined us as well. Rosalie was smiling but Emmett still looked oblivious to the situation at hand and was glancing between Rosalie and me looking for some explanation. Rosalie slapped Emmett's arm and said, "Bella's the girl Edward met at the airport you doofus."

"Ouch Rosie. I thought the girl Edward met was Isabella. Oh wait, is Bella short for Isabella?" Emmett asked and Rosalie slapped Emmett again. When I looked towards the kitchen I saw Mom and Dad leaning onto each other smiling at the sight of Edward, Bella, and Kitty who were now happily conversing with each other

"Hi Edward, I didn't know you were coming to see me," I heard Kitty say to Edward while she fiddled with Bitty Baby.

"I didn't know I was going to see you today either but I'm glad I did," Edward said to Kitty and he kissed her on her forehead. "Who's your friend?" he asked trying to make conversation with her.

"This is baby." Kitty replied.

"Well that's original," Emmett said and earned another slap behind his head from Rosalie. They were now both sitting really close to Edward and Bella to try to catch up on the scoop.

"She's only 3, you doofus. She probably thought the doll's name was baby since everyone around her probably called her doll as baby," Rosalie tried to explain to Emmett but now Emmett seemed no longer interested.

"You two look like sisters," Edward said to Kitty. "You're both wearing matching dresses," he said. Uh oh. My idiot brother just threw me into the lion's den. That was the cue for me to go into hiding but I was too late.

Bella looked towards me, raised one of her eyebrows and asked, "Alice why is Kitty wearing something totally different than what she was wearing when you took Kitty out this morning? Why does Bitty baby have a new matching outfit?" she asked although I know she knew the answer.

I was searching for an answer but Rosalie came to the rescue. "Oh Bella, don't be such a party pooper. Hey Alice did you get pictures taken in the studio there? They make a souvenir cover of the American Girl Place magazine with the picture right?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah I got it here. Wanna take a look?" I said to Rosalie and she nodded.

Everyone huddled near Rosalie and oohed and awed at Kitty's picture that we took at the photo studio. Jasper was studying the photo a lot more intently than the others and looked at me.

"Alice you do realise that we plan on going into business doing something similar right?" Jasper said trying to remind me. "I wish you would have taken me with you two so that I could have looked at their set up and all," he said.

"Oh sorry, I was caught up in the moment I didn't think far enough. But our concept is much more sophisticated though." I retorted. "The renovation is underway at the boutique as we speak. The studio portion should be done in less than 2 weeks so that you can start shooting for the catalogue. Rosalie agreed to model as the mother with Kitty since Bella refuses to be photographed. All we need is a male model for the part of the father. You would have been ideal but since you're the photographer that's out of question."

"You're looking for a model to play the part of the father in the family photo for the catalogue Alice? Well I see the perfect guy sitting right in front of me." Emmett said pointing at Edward.

"Why didn't I think of that? Wow Emmett you're a life saver. Edward, you'd help us out right? You really would be perfect. The mothers will be drooling over you in the catalogue." I asked Edward knowing he wouldn't be able to refuse.

"We'll probably need to print more copies if Edward is going to be in the catalogue. I'm sure the mothers will probably take more than 1 copy so that she could give them to her friends," Jasper said chuckling.

"You're putting me in a spot where I can't refuse Alice," Edward said but he didn't look like he minded to be in the catalogue. It was probably due to the fact that he would be in the picture with Kitty and that Bella would most likely be at the photo shoot.

"We're planning on shooting the family picture here, and then plan to shoot some more when we're back in Forks for Thanksgiving so that we can shoot the grandpa and grandma picture with granddaughter for the catalogue with Carlisle, Esme, and Kitty as models. Rosalie and Emmett will be there too so if you can also make it to Forks for Thanksgiving I can shoot more of the family photo with Rosalie, Kitty and you together," Jasper said to Edward all excited now that all the pieces seem to fit together for the catalogue.

"Mom agreed to put up the Christmas decorations by the time we get there for Thanksgiving so that we can shoot the holiday pictures while we are there," I informed everyone.

"You're going to be my Daddy?" Kitty asked. Even though we knew she was asking about Edward going to be the father in the photo shoot.

I think I saw a little sparkle in Edward's eyes when he said "Yes I am," smiling to her. Everyone seemed to be in deep thought when Edward said yes to Kitty. I think we were all imagining Edward, Bella, and Kitty together as a family.

Things progressed a lot better than I had anticipated and I was proud of my accomplishment. I looked at Jazz and he also looked like he was proud of himself. If Jazz hadn't realised that it was Bella who Edward ran into at O'Hare, I'm sure they would have met eventually but I don't think it would have resulted as well as it did today.

We all ate and immersed in conversation. Most of the topic was about the children's boutique and photo studio for mothers and children Jasper, Bella, and I were going to run.

Kitty was getting bored in the adult conversation and I overheard Edward talking about Universal Studios and that Kitty has never been there before. I was pleasantly surprised when Jasper jumped into their conversation.

"Kitty you've never been to Universal Studios? We should all go then," Jasper said excitedly. At that exact moment I thought I saw Edward frown for a second but quickly kept up with the conversation that he also thought it was a great idea that we all went.

"That sounds really fun," Emmett joined their conversation. "How about going 2 weeks from today?" Emmet asked looking at each of us.

"2 weeks from now works perfectly for me," Edward said. "How about you Bella?" he asked.

"I don't think I have anything planned unless Alice has something planned for me to help in regards to the new boutique," she replied to Edward looking at me what I had in plans for her.

"2 weeks from today sounds great," I said and asked Jasper if his schedule was clear also.

"I'm cool with that. So 2 weeks from today it is," Jasper said and we all seemed satisfied.

Hours flew by and it was time for the party to end as we all needed to get dressed for the event. Mom thought everything through and rented a limo for the night so that none of us would have to be the designated driver. The driver was going to pick each of us up and go to the event so Rosalie, Emmett, Jazz, and Edward left Bella's to go and get ready. I brought my stuff to Bella's to change so that I can help her get dressed for the evening. Mom and Dad had agreed to take Kitty to dinner at American Girl Place so they also headed.

I took Bella's hand and lead her to her bedroom to show her the housewarming gift I got her. "Bella I know this isn't a typical housewarming gift but I know you would refuse if I bought you an outfit for tonight so this outfit is your housewarming gift," I told Bella as I was taking the outfit from the garment bag. I had called up my stylist friend and got Bella the platform boots, skinny pants, and belted flowing shimmering black tunic from Gucci's 2009 fall collection. I slicked and flat ironed Bella's hair and topped it off by putting red lipstick on Bella's lips to match the look that the Gucci models had when I saw them on the runway. Bella usually goes for the natural look on her face but it would not match her outfit for tonight so I applied bare minimum without destroying the look I wanted to achieve on her. It was different than what Bella would normally dress like but Bella looked really stunning after I finished getting her ready.

Bella looked in the mirror after I was done and gasped, "Wow Ally, I was a bit afraid at first but I look so hot." She said twirling around in her outfit.

"I'm really glad you like it. I realise the look is out of your comfort zone but come on unleash the sexy side of Bella sometimes ya know," I said to her smiling.

"Thanks so much Ally for everything. It's one surprise after another today for me. I can't believe that it was your brother I met at O'Hare. You'd think I would have seen pictures of him at your parent's house. I guess I never paid much attention," she said with regret on her face.

"Come on silly, we had better things to do than looking at pictures in my home," I said. I quickly slipped on the platform boots and shimmering black skinny pants and matching shimmering black top from the same Gucci 2009 fall line. Satisfied with both of our looks I grabbed Bella's hand and lead her out of her bedroom.

The limo was here waiting for us so we quickly headed into the limo where Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie and Edward were waiting. Bella and I slipped into the limo and gave Jasper thumbs up without letting Edward or Bella seeing me do that when I saw that Jasper had made sure that the only place Bella could sit was beside Edward.

Once I sat down Jasper whispered into my ear, "I take it that you liked when I jumped into the conversation to make sure that it wasn't just the three of them going to Universal Studios."

"That was smooth, Jasper. Very smooth," I whispered into his ear and kissed him.

We all started talking about Universal Studios and shared some of our experiences there.

I saw Bella pout when she started to share her experience, "The last time Ally dragged me there I was in my third trimester with Kitty and couldn't go on most of the rides. I ended up soaked at the Waterworld show. It was really uncomfortable."

"Yeah but you made sure I got drenched at the Jurassic Park ride. I can't believe you helped her Jazz," I said glaring at Jasper reflecting back on that day.

Emmett was laughing so hard at our banter. Then the car stopped and the driver came around to let us out of the car and we made our way to the Observatory.

**Edward POV **

I couldn't believe my eyes when the little girl from O' Hare zipped past me into Alice's best friend's apartment. Then seeing her mother it almost felt like I saw a ghost.

After getting introduced by Alice I felt relieved that the girl was real and that she wasn't a figment of my imagination when I saw her at Ralph's and at Jasper's the other day.

I feel really relaxed and comfortable sitting beside Bella in this limo. She looks stunning in her outfit. She smells a lot like her daughter, something floral yet fruity. Her red lips look so kissable I am having a hard time restraining myself from leaning into her to kiss her.

This whole day has been amazing. I never thought I'd see the little girl and her mother again and it turned out that the mother was Alice's best friend. What are the odds? I sipped the champagne Emmett brought and was lost in thought. Suddenly an image flashed in my mind, it was of Alice being ready with her camera and the flash going off the moment I saw Kitty running towards me calling my name. I quickly looked towards Alice and saw that she was looking at me. I narrowed my eyes at her. Her eyes opened really wide as if she understood that I was on to her about something and she quickly looked away from me. Ah that darn little conniving fairy. Jasper and Alice must've figured it out before today that Bella was the girl I met at O'Hare. I think I'm going to let her go on this trick she played as I probably wouldn't have called Bella and I could've missed this opportunity to spend with Bella all day.

When we got to the Observatory I slipped out of the car first, held out my hand to escort her out of the car, and held out my arm so that she could slip her arm in. We walked to the entrance behind Alice and Jasper together with Rosalie and Emmett walking behind us.

The whole night was magical. We enjoyed each other's company and the music was great. I was sad when the evening was ending and we were walking back to the limo.

The night was still young and Jasper suggested, "It's still pretty early. I think we all had plenty to drink so we probably don't want to go to a bar. Wanna go come over to my place to just chill out for a while? We have the limo till 2 a.m. so you all don't have to worry about transportation."

Once we got to Jasper's, I went into the kitchen to help him grab the chips and drinks. As I stood beside Jasper I quietly whispered to him. "You and Alice figured out that it was Bella that I met at O'Hare before today didn't you? You could've just told me you know. When did you find out?"

Jasper shrugged and said, "I don't think Ally is going to be happy that I'm telling you this but I figured it out on the drive back from Vegas to LA. Although I wasn't absolutely sure till I spoke with Alice and heard what Kitty and Bella told her though."

"Wouldn't it have been easier if you just told me?" I asked because I couldn't understand why he kept this from me.

"Where's the fun in that?" He said with a smug face.

I think I know Jasper enough that he wouldn't have refrained from giving me this information just for fun. There must be some kind of motive behind it but I decided to brush it off and just be happy that I have a chance with Bella now.

I looked around and saw Bella settle into Jasper's couch and Emmett sat beside her. In the far end of the room I saw Rosalie corner Alice. I assumed she was trying to squeeze information out of Alice in regards to Bella and me as I kept seeing Rosalie glancing over at me while talking to Alice.

I decided to go sit by Bella and Emmet as I assumed he was there to question Bella like Rosalie was with Alice and I wanted to hear what Bella was going to say to him.

"So Bella, were you surprised that it was Edward you met at O'Hare? I know I was. I didn't realise that the young mother Edward was talking about when we were in Vegas was you," I overheard Emmett say while I was walking towards them.

I saw Bella blush and ask, "Edward talked about me?"

"Yeah he did. Eddie boy is kinda shy. He really wanted to call you though," Emmett said and now it was my turn to blush. I went to sit down near them but acted as though I didn't hear their conversation.

I sat down and decided to steer the conversation the direction I wanted it to go. "So Bella now that the renovation of the boutique is close to complete and Jasper's studio will be finished as well, will you be the one managing the operation?" I asked Bella.

Bella smiled at me and replied. "Well we three are all going to be managing it together, I'm mainly there to give input from a mother's point of view to Alice, but at the moment my priority is to gather information on child friendly places to eat, activities, and etc. in LA. Alice wants to sell a booklet at the store with this information. We're going to shoot Kitty wearing Alice's clothing at these places for the booklet. The booklet will also have Kitty modeling the next season's designs. It's something I always wanted to do. I wanted to become a writer. I majored in journalism in college. Before I ever had the chance to do anything about it I was pregnant with Kitty. I don't have any regret but I don't want to lose this opportunity."

"It sounds really exciting. What's next after the LA issue?" I asked.

"Well Alice wants me to write the same for Chicago for the Spring/Summer issue and New York for the Fall/Winter issue. It'll be fun though because we'll all get to go there to shoot." Bella said excitedly.

"Well if me being a pediatrician and living here and have lived in both Chicago and New York I'd be more than happy to help you in any way possible. You could even interview me if you want some tid bit about medical stuff in the booklet," I said to her in hopes I could use this as an excuse to be around her more.

Her face lightened up and gave me the brightest smile. "You really would do that for me? You know that's an excellent idea. Hey Ally, come here, Edward gave us a really good suggestion for the booklet," she yelled to Alice almost bouncing out of the couch out of excitement.

Alice came bouncing towards the couch where we were sitting. "What is it?"

"Edward said he would comment in the booklet as a pediatrician. You know we could add some Q&A section about children's health. He would be an awesome reference to questions parents ask doctors that aren't really in books. He said he would even help me with the Chicago and New York issue since he's lived there!" Bella replied to Alice and now both of them were jumping up and down.

"This is going to be so exciting. Can I interview you in the next few days? Could you call me to let me know when you are free?" Bella asked me.

I couldn't be happier at that moment. I now have a reason to call Bella and have a reason to interact with Bella for a while. Possibly even have an excuse to take her out to dinner.


	6. Chapter 6 The Sun

A/N

Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.

I only own the plot.

The places mentioned in the story are real and I have a link to them on my profile.

Thank you for reading my story and for the reviews.

Chapter 6 The Sun

Characters: Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, and Kitty

**Bella POV **

Alice, Jasper, Kitty and I left our apartment to have breakfast at The Penthouse at Huntley Hotel with Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle as Esme and Carlisle were leaving today to go back to Forks. The restaurant was breathtaking on the Penthouse floor which was 18 stories above the Santa Monica shores. The 360 degree view of Pacific Ocean, Malibu coast and cliffs, and Hollywood was spectacular. We had a cabana booked so that our dining experience would be more intimate.

We sat down but Kitty was too excited and was wanted to get up and go and look around but I made her wait till we finished ordering. We were having breakfast so I was happy to see that almost all the items on the menu were food that Kitty would absolutely enjoy. I ordered the Classic Benedict with a side of pancakes and macaroni and cheese and omelet for Kitty. Almost everyone had ordered something different so I was looking forward to seeing the different plates of food. Once we were done ordering Kitty slipped off the chair and took Edward's hand and asked him if he could take her around to go see the panoramic view.

Edward told Kitty to just wait for him at the table and he got up and walked towards the manager. Edward said something to him and I saw the manager smile at Edward and nod. Edward came back and took Kitty and I saw the manager accompany them around pointing to various directions probably explaining to Kitty what it was. When I started to get up so that I can relieve Edward from taking Kitty around Esme stopped me.

"Relax dear. Edward's got it. Look at him he looks so happy. He's enjoying it as much as Kitty is," Esme said to me so I sat back down and decided to enjoy my mimosa.

Few minutes after Edward and Kitty was back in their seats the food arrived. They all looked good and everyone looked content. I saw Kitty glance at Edward's Blueberry waffles. It was topped with whipped cream. When Edward noticed Kitty almost drooling at his food he chuckled. "Would you like some Kitty?" he asked. Kitty nodded with a big smile. Edward cut some bite size pieces, topped it with blueberries and whipped cream, and placed it on Kitty's plate.

She also glanced over to see what everyone else was having, Esme was having fruit crepes, Jasper the Huevos Rancheros, Alice the Bananas Foster French Toast, Carlisle the Corn Beef Hash, Emmett the Steak and Eggs, and Rosalie the Spa Omelet. Esme saw that Kitty looked like she wanted to have a bite of whatever everyone else was having she grabbed a plate and put a little portion of her fruit crepe, whispered something into Carlisle's ear, and passed the plate to Carlisle. Carlisle put some of his Corn Beef Hash on the plate and passed the plate to Alice, and the plate kept getting passed around everyone till it finally came to me. At first I didn't know what was going on until I realised that they all put a sample size of their dish for Kitty to eat.

"Thank you so much" I said and gave the plate to Kitty.

"Oh so that's what it was all about. The plate was for Kitty. I had no idea so I just copied what everyone else was doing and put some of my food on the plate. Can you guys do the same for me?" Emmett said and got a slap on the back of his head from Rosalie and we all laughed.

The food was fabulous and the view was gorgeous. Kitty seemed to be really enjoying the food sampler she got from everyone. Soon we were all finished and we said our goodbyes to Esme and Carlisle and headed back to our car.

While we were all walking towards the valet Alice said she wanted to go to Beverly Center to shop but Kitty said she wanted to go to the beach to make sand castles. Kitty and I came on Alice's car so I told her that we can go to the beach another time but Edward offered that he can take us to the beach and give us a ride back home. Alice said she still had Kitty's bucket and shovel in the trunk of her car so she got it out of her trunk and also took off the child seat and gave it to Edward. Edward grabbed the child seat and fitted it into the back seat of his car.

While Edward was fitting the child seat in the back seat of his car Emmet said with a smug face, "Edward you don't have a child seat in the back of your car?" "Rosie and I got one for ours' so that we can take Kitty around any time," Emmett boasted.

"Hey cut me some slack. I only met Bella and Kitty yesterday." Edward said with a frown.

"Emmett you shouldn't have. I couldn't believe it when Jasper got one for his car. To hear that even you and Rosalie got one for your car is beyond amazing. I don't know how to thank you," I said to Emmett. Emmett said it was no big deal and that I didn't need to thank him. He said the child seat was an excuse to hang around Kitty.

We all got into our cars headed to our separate way. When we got to the beach Edward grabbed some towels and a few bottles of water from his trunk and we walked to the beach. Edward laid the towels down on the sand and we both sat on it. Kitty started to make a sand castle right in front of where we sat.

**Edward POV**

"I'm so full," Bella said rubbing her stomach.

I laughed and said, "Yeah me too. The food was great though. I really enjoyed it. I can't remember the last time breakfast was so enjoyable."

"I agree. It's a rare occasion for me to be able to sit and enjoy food with Kitty around. Most of the time I'm either cutting her food or wiping food dribbling down her chin, and barely have time to get food into my own mouth. I usually end up just having coffee. I'm not a morning person either so that makes it more difficult." Bella laughed and said to me.

"I don't really know whether I'm a morning person or not. My work schedule is so messed up. I just try to eat whenever I get a chance."

"Wow that sounds tough. At least I have a set schedule. Kitty wakes up around the same time every morning. Unfortunately it means I rarely get to sleep in unless Kitty is staying at someone else's place though. I've been lucky though. Alice, Jasper, and your Mom have really helped me since I moved back to LA. The transition has been really smooth." She said.

"You and me both. I don't know how Jasper does it. I wouldn't be able to keep up with her from first thing in the morning. High school was toughest for me. She was bright and cheery from first thing in the morning and would run into my bedroom and bounce up and down on my bed to wake me up. If she did that to me now I would have a coronary." I said to Bella and she started to laugh so hard that she had tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm glad there is someone who shares my sentiment," I said grinning to Bella.

"In all honesty, not having Alice around for the past 2 years was really tough. Stephen thought it would be better to be near family to treat the cancer but I had no one to lean on in Chicago. His brothers said they were too busy and rarely visited. They only started to come around after the funeral to ask for money and said they deserved Stephen's money more than I did because I wasn't with him that long. Alice had to drive them away for me and even she was getting sick of all the harassment from Stephen's older brother James and his wife Victoria. I'm surprised that they've been quiet after came back to LA. Alice threatened legal actions against them but I doubt that is what's stopping them," Bella said with a hard look.

"I'm really sorry you had to go through all that when family members should be supportive at a time like that. If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me know okay Bella?" I said to Bella meaning every word of it.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to dump it all on you. It's all in the past now. I finally get a fresh start. Kitty seems to have settled in really well. I just need to find a sitter once the new boutique and photo studio is up and running," Bella said smiling at me.

It felt good that Bella was opening up to me when we've only just met. I felt closer to her. I certainly hoped that she felt the same.

**Bella POV**

On the way home I needed some fresh produce and meat so I asked Edward to drive me to the Co-op on Broadway. Edward loved the fact that most of the product there were organic and the store was huge and carried so many different items. There's a deli and juice bar inside the store so we ordered some sub sandwiches and soup so that we could have a quick bite. We weren't terribly hungry since we had a large breakfast but we were hungry enough that we were sure we wouldn't be able to wait till dinner to eat. Kitty wasn't hungry yet so she just wanted a smoothie.

The ride home was quick and I thanked Edward for the ride and the lovely time we got to spend together. I really meant it and hoped that he understood that I really felt that way.

As soon as we got home I took Kitty to her bedroom for her nap. We've been so busy the past few weeks that Kitty hadn't had a proper nap time. She just took quick naps in the car on the way to wherever we were going. I decided to nap together with Kitty as I felt really exhausted.

When I got up from my nap I felt really dizzy and had to hang on to Kitty's dresser so that I wouldn't fall down. Kitty must have felt me get out of her bed as she also woke up. She told me that she was hungry. I looked at the clock and saw that we had napped for 3 hours and it was almost 6 p.m. I told Kitty to play in her room and that I would call her as soon as dinner was ready. She said she wanted to eat Mac and Cheese so that was going to be simple.

When I got to the kitchen to start her dinner I was violently hit with a wave of nausea so I made a quick dash to the bathroom. I felt the chills and couldn't move. I broke out with cold sweat. I felt like I was going to black out. I felt really weak but was able to call out to Kitty and she came running into the bathroom. I told her to go to Jasper's and get help me. I had locked the front door so I told Kitty to go and get her step stool so that she could unlock the door.

Few minutes later Kitty came back to tell me that Alice and Jasper weren't home.


	7. Chapter 7 The Empress

**A/N **

**Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot.

Locations mentioned in the story are real and the links to them are on my profile.

Thanks for reading my story and for the comments. I'd love to hear from you all what you think.

**Chapter 7 The Empress**

**Characters: Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, and Kitty **

**Alice POV **

"Jasper, you know how much I love excitement, but right I'm more than happy that things are normal. Bella and Kitty have settled in and now Mom and Dad have gone home. Finally we can all live happily ever after," I said to Jasper.

Jasper chuckled. "I wouldn't be so sure sweetheart. Bella is a danger magnet. You have a flair for drama. With you two together I think things will never be normal and I would never be bored."

"Never say never, Jasper." I warned him.

Jasper chuckled again. "Whatever you say sweetheart. We're almost at South Coast Plaza now. Where do you want me to park?" Jasper asked.

"Park in the North structure. That way I can see Nordstrom and Chanel first." I said to Jasper excitedly as I now could see the mall complex.

"I'm a bit thirsty and I could have a bite to eat. Let's take a break at Quattro Caffé before we start shopping." Jasper said. I wanted to go straight to Nordstrom but I felt that if I let him have this he would be more inclined to me dragging him around the mall so I decided to agree.

"That actually sounds like a great idea Jasper! I think I'm going to order a Panini. Oh but pizza sounds good too. Maybe we should share a pizza, oh but their appetizers are great too maybe we can get several different antipasti. Oh I can't decide."

Jasper chuckled again. "I'm glad that you really like my idea of going to Quattro Caffé. We can order anything you like sweetheart. No one's stopping you. They'll just have to add another table to ours. I'm used to the servers telling us we are ordering too much food. I love the look on their faces when they see you finish most of it yourself," he said laughing.

We were lucky to get seated at the patio. We ordered various antipasti, Ravioli ai Tres Formaggi, and Linguine Vongole. After we ate we quickly made our way to the stores.

While I waited for Jasper to return from the car to drop off the bags of items I already purchase I got a call from Bella. I panicked when I heard distress in her voice.

"Alice I'm sorry to call but I need help." Bella said in a faint voice.

"What's wrong Bella? Are you all right?" I was afraid to hear her reply to my question.

"I'm not feeling well but I'm better than I was 5 minutes ago. I felt dizzy and nauseas. Do you think you can watch Kitty for me when you get back?" she asked me.

"Bella do you want me to call 911 for you? Where's Kitty?" I was now starting to hyperventilate.

"She's with me here in the bathroom. I don't need to go to the hospital." Bella said but she sounded too weak and I could tell that she could barely speak.

"Hang in there Bella. I'm sending help your way." I hung up and called Edward.

"Get to Bella's now!" I screamed into the phone when Edward picked up his phone.

"Slow down Alice. You're scaring me. What do you mean get to Bella's now? I dropped her off at her place few hours ago." Edward replied to me confused.

"Just drive to Bella's. Where are you anyway?" I asked Edward hoping he wasn't far from Bella like I was.

"I'm in the car Alice. I'm actually in Santa Monica so I can get to Bella's in minutes but why do you need me to go to Bella's?" he asked me.

"I got a distressed call from Bella. She said she felt dizzy and nauseas but she says she doesn't need to go to the hospital. She's really stubborn and normally refuses to go to the hospital. I need you to check her out and take her to the hospital if you think she should." I explained to him how Bella reacts to going to the hospital.

"All right Alice I'm gonna let you go. I'll give you a call after I have a handle on the situation." Edward said and I could sense panic in his voice.

"Alice what's wrong?" Jasper asked me when he came back as I was getting off the phone with Edward.

"I got a call from Bella that she wasn't feeling well so I just called Edward to send him to Bella's. He should be there in a few minutes. Luckily he was in Santa Monica when I called him. He'll call me back when he gets a handle on the situation. Let's get our car and start heading back home," I told him.

**Edward POV**

I started to pound on Bella's door. From the window I saw Kitty run towards the door carrying a step stool. I was afraid Kitty might fall running with the step stool that looked half her size. Thankfully she managed without falling and opened the door for me although it took several minutes but it felt much longer waiting outside the door.

Kitty grabbed my hand and ran towards the bathroom with me behind her. I was shocked to find Bella blacked out on the bathroom floor. I sat beside Bella to check her breathing and her pulse. I checked her head to see if there was any injury. I called out to Bella but she wouldn't wake to my call. I picked her up gently and carried her to the couch.

I checked to make sure that Kitty was all right. Her face was all red and her eyes puffy from crying. She was still sobbing and looked exhausted from crying. I picked Kitty up and told her that everything was going to be all right.

"Is Mommy going to wake up? Is she going to the clouds like Daddy?" she asked terrified.

"We'll take Mommy to the hospital. She'll get all the care she needs there. Hold on to my shirt I need to carry your Mommy." I said to Kitty as I picked Bella up to take her to St. John's.

I called Alice to tell her that I was taking Bella to St. John's and that I needed her to call Eleazar to ask him to call his friends at St. John's so that they would be ready to assist as soon as I get there with Bella since we weren't going in on an ambulance.

As soon as I pulled up to the emergency entrance a gurney was brought so that we could transfer Bella on to it. The doctor and nurses took Bella, and I was led to fill in medical information.

Kitty and I sat in the waiting room while Bella was being treated and we waited for Alice and Jasper to arrive. In a few minutes Kitty fell asleep in my lap. I don't know how much time had passed when Alice and Jasper joined me in the waiting room. I told Alice I'll go and ask information from the doctor but Jasper said they'll go do that since I had Kitty asleep in my lap.

Jasper and Alice came back to let me know that the nurse said they ran tests on Bella and nothing serious was going on. They said that Bella just needed to rest.

"I'll stay with Bella till she wakes up and take her home when they release her," I said to Alice and Jasper.

"I want to stay." Alice said.

"Since Ally wants to stay it doesn't make sense for all of us to stay here when we should be tucking Kitty in bed. I'll stay with Ally and take Bella home. Would you be able to take care of Kitty?" Jasper asked me.

"Let me talk to the doctor so that I can know exactly what is going on with Bella and what kind of tests they ran on her. Once I'm satisfied with the treatment they've administered to Bella I'll take Kitty back home." I said as I transferred Kitty from my arms to Jasper's.

I spoke to the doctor in charge and although what they have done to Bella was not exactly standard procedure I was satisfied enough. I was a little annoyed they wouldn't let me see her file. I didn't want to argue right there so I decided to just ask Eleazar later. I went back to the waiting area and got Kitty and left the hospital.

Kitty woke up on the drive back home. "Where's Mommy?" she asked with panic in her voice.

"Your Mommy is fine Kitty. She's sleeping at the hospital. When she wakes up Alice and Jasper will bring her home." I assured Kitty.

"I wanted to see Mommy," she said with a frown.

"Don't worry baby we'll see Mommy real soon. Are you hungry Kitty? Do you want me to make something at home for you?" I asked Kitty when I realised that now it was way past dinner and bed time for her. Kitty smiled and nodded.

When we got back into the apartment I took Kitty to her room and told her to play there while I made something for her to eat. She told me she wanted to eat Mac and Cheese.

I went to the kitchen and found a box of Dinosaur Mac and Cheese. I rarely cooked so I was out of practice and was glad I only had to make Mac and Cheese.

I finished making Mac and Cheese, set the table, and helped Kitty into her chair. Kitty shook her head pointed to the plate I set for her. "Not pink," Kitty said and pointed to the dishwasher. When I looked inside the dishwasher I found several child size pink plastic plates and bowls. They were really small. I pulled out the plastic bowl and scooped some Mac and Cheese and placed it in front of her.

While I watched her eat I understood what Bella meant that she didn't have time to eat. I had to keep picking up food that she dropped that didn't make it into her mouth and I had to keep wiping the food dribbling down her chin just like Bella had said. I felt like just spoon feeding her as it would be so much easier but I realised that Kitty needed to practice to eat on her own. As I watched Kitty eat I couldn't help but wonder what kind of baby Bella had been. I see a lot of similarities between them like the way they held themselves, facial expression, and the way they bit their bottom lip.

Once Kitty was done eating we went to sit in front of the TV. While she was watching TV I went to the bathroom to run a bath. Bella hadn't bathed Kitty after they got back from the beach. Kitty's hair was sticky and there were sand caught in them. I was sure Bella had planned on bathing Kitty before tucking her in bed so I decided I needed to manage it myself. I looked around and found a funny looking colorful bottle of baby shampoo and baby body wash. As soon as the tub was full I went to Kitty's room and looked for her pajamas and set it on her bed.

I went back to the living room, led Kitty to the bathroom, helped her undress, and sat her in the tub. I got a washcloth and squirted body wash on it. "Can you wash your body yourself or does your Mommy wash you?"

"Mommy," she replied. I took a deep breath and exhaled and told myself I can do this. I quickly washed her body and told her to close her eyes tight and lathered her hair with shampoo. Then I realised I didn't know how to wash the shampoo off her hair since I had poured bubble bath in the water. She was so short and the shower head was so high up compared to her height I didn't think the water would hit her properly. After trying to figure out how to get the suds out of her hair I decided to pick her up and placed her head right under the shower head. Kitty squealed and laughed when the water from the shower hit her head. The shower curtain wasn't really doing its job I now had water spraying out of the curtained area as the water bounced off both Kitty's head and mine. Although I had made a huge mess in the bathroom I was satisfied that I was at least able to get the suds out. I'm sure this isn't what Bella would normally do but it worked so I was happy. I set Kitty on the bath mat and dried her. I wrapped her in the bath towel, picked her up again, took her to her bedroom and helped put on her pajamas. Kitty was giggling the whole time.

"Why are you giggling Kitty?" I said raising one of my eyebrows. "Did I do something funny?"

"Yup" she said and giggled again.

I'm sure everything I did in the bathroom was not the way Bella bathes Kitty but I really didn't want to call Alice to ask her. Kitty's clean and I didn't get any shampoo in her eyes. I was proud I managed to bathe Kitty without drowning her. Now I just have to brush her hair and get the tangles out. At the moment she looks like a drowned cat but thankfully she looks happy as she was still giggling. Drying and getting the tangles out of her hair was quite a challenge. I ended up pulling out a lot of her hair and Kitty looked really annoyed. I kept apologizing to her every time I brushed her hair.

I was going to tuck Kitty in her bed but she refused. She told me she wanted to sleep in Bella's bed. She said she wanted to sleep where it smelled like Mommy. I didn't know if Bella allowed her to sleep in her bed but considering the circumstance of Kitty missing her Mommy I was sure Bella would understand so I tucked Kitty in Bella's bed. Kitty asked me to read her bedtime story so I went to Kitty's room and grabbed the book from her nightstand.

When I was about to start reading to her Kitty lying on top of Bella's bedspread Kitty told me to get inside the bed too. I didn't think Bella was going to like this but her bed smelled so good I couldn't resist Kitty's offer. I got inside the bed and the sheets and the pillows smelled like Bella.

After I started to read a little Kitty's eyelids started to look heavy. The comfort being in bed was also making it increasingly hard for me to keep reading the story. My eyelids started to feel really heavy too and I struggled to stay awake.

I stirred awake when I felt something on my chest. It smelled floral and fruity. I opened my eyes to see what it was and found Kitty's head resting on my chest. It was my first time to sleep with a little child in my arms in bed since I don't have any nieces or nephews yet. It felt wonderful. I felt a sense of purpose that she needed me to keep her safe and protect her from harm. I looked at the clock and realised I had slept for 2 hours.

I made it to the kitchen to make some coffee. I felt a little hungry and looked inside Bella's fridge. It was well stocked but I was too tired to cook. Then I saw some leftover cupcakes I brought to Bella to her housewarming. I grabbed one of them and went to sit on the couch to watch T.V.

I checked my phone and saw that I had received a message from Alice. The text said that they were on their way back with Bella. When I saw shadows go past the window I went to the door to see if they would need any help. Alice came into the apartment and Jasper came in with his arms around Bella to keep her steady. Bella looked up and smiled and me and said, "Thank you Edward. I'm really sorry I ruined your day. You must be really tied," she said worriedly.

"No need to thank me Bella, I hadn't done anything I didn't want to. Kitty's been great. She's fast asleep in your bed. She refused to sleep in her own. I hope it's all right with you," I said hoping she wouldn't have a problem with it.

"Not a problem at all. It happens lately. When she is nervous or scared she asks me if she can sleep in my bed," Bella said while we walked to her bedroom.

Jasper, Alice and I went back to the living room to have coffee after we tucked Bella in her bed. In a little while Alice left to go to the bathroom. "Judging by what the tub looks like I take it you had quite a struggle bathing Kitty." Alice laughed when she returned from the bathroom. I shrugged at her.

"I think we all had a long day. Why don't you go home and catch some sleep. Jasper, that goes for you too. I'll take Bella's guestroom." Alice said.

"All right Alice. Take care of Bella. I'll be back later to check on Bella." I said to Alice and left Bella's apartment.

**Bella POV **

It's been 2 weeks since the incident in the bathroom. What the doctor revealed to me at the hospital was something I had not anticipated to hear. I was pregnant again. I shouldn't have been so shocked since I missed my last Depo shot but for some reason I just never thought Stephen was healthy enough to be fertile. But I was wrong I guess it's really true that all it takes is once and one little swimmer. I had been intimate with Stephen when he was in remission right before his final hospitalization. The doctor told me to think carefully what I want to do. She had warned me that there is a risk of miscarriage or problems with my pregnancy due to the fact that Stephen had chemo. I had blamed my non cycle as a result from stress and never anticipated that I was pregnant. I was always irregular so the fact that I only spotted over the last few months didn't alert me that I may be pregnant.

When I told Alice about my pregnancy she was shocked and she cried with me. She called the baby Stephen's miracle baby. I still don't feel mentally prepared. Alice went with me for my first ultrasound last week. I'm still not showing but I should be really soon. Alice is excited that she can design maternity clothing with me in mind. I had asked Alice not tell anyone except Jasper that I'm pregnant. I'm not quite sure why I had asked that, whether it was fear from miscarriage, or whether I just didn't feel prepared to be having another baby. I also don't know why I feel nervous to tell Edward that I'm having a baby.

I should be happy that now I have a baby growing inside me that the love Stephen and I had for each other created. Stephen is gone but he is going to be reborn through my baby. Why am I not thrilled like I was when I found out I was pregnant with Kitty? I should be squealing and running around with Alice that I was going to have another baby. I should be out with her buying T shirts and other things that have Mommy on them. It's different this time. I don't have Stephen. I don't have Stephen to make my midnight run for food I crave, he's not around to massage my feet, he's not around to tell me how beautiful I look despite looking like a whale, he's not around… he's not around anymore. How will I do this alone? My baby will never know his or her father.

**********

A/N

I'd love to hear what you think of Bella being pregnant with Stephen's baby. Yay or Nay? I've been pondering on this since I started writing this story. I wanted a little drama between Edward and Bella. I did some research and also got some feedback from my friend who is a doctor that it is medically possible that Bella could get pregnant and have a healthy baby depending on the chemo Stephen had even if he wasn't in remission.


	8. Chapter 8 The Hanged Man

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot.

As previous chapters the places mentioned in the story are real and I have placed the link on my profile.

**Chapter 8 The Hanged Man**

**Characters: Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, and Kitty**

**Alice POV**

"What's eating you Alice?" Jasper said with a concerned look.

"I've got something to tell you. I'm not sure why I haven't told you yet. I know you'll be happy when I tell you but I'm not sure why I'm not thrilled like I think I should be." I told Jasper and he looked very confused.

"Just tell me Alice. If it's something that needs figuring out we'll figure it out together." Jasper said looking worried.

"Bella is pregnant with Stephen's baby. She found out at the hospital when she blacked out. She didn't act happy like she did with Kitty. I can understand though. She must be very scared that he's no longer there with her. We can all support her but it's not the same. If I were her I would be lost, scared, and lonely too. She asked me not to tell anyone else but you until she's ready to tell others." I told Jasper.

"How far along is Bella. Hasn't chemo affected anything?" Jasper asked with a worried look in his eyes..

"Well according to the doctor there is some risk so they are running some tests to check for abnormality in the baby. So far there has been no complication with the pregnancy. Bella's almost done with her first trimester. She's waiting for the test results to come in," I explained to Jasper.

"She'll be all right. We'll all be there for her. You said she didn't want anyone else to know right? I hope she tells Edward soon. He's been around her a lot since he took her to the ER. I'm sure his medical knowledge would be helpful to Bella. Have you ever heard Bella mention anything about her feelings towards Edward?" Jasper asked.

"Her mind's been too preoccupied with the pregnancy. She hasn't opened up to me much lately. They really look happy when they are together though. Kitty won't leave his side when he's around. There's potential. We just need to steer them in the right direction. I know Bella. Now that she's pregnant she's probably going to feel as if she's not good enough for Edward and that he shouldn't be burdened with her problems. I don't think she understands Edward enough yet. He's definitely not the type to run just because she's pregnant. The fact that she is pregnant might even make him want to be with her more. He's probably going to think that they need him more now than ever."

"I couldn't agree with you more. What can we do though? We can't exactly tell Bella to hurry up and tell Edward that she's pregnant. We need a plan." Jasper said with a determined look.

"I think we need to be sneaky this time. Maybe we can somehow use Kitty. She knows about the baby. She's excited she's going to have a brother or a sister. We could use her to tell Edward that Bella is pregnant. We need to figure out a way to coax Kitty to tell Edward about the baby without Bella finding out that we had a hand in it. What do you think?" I asked Jasper but I wasn't really sure myself.

Jasper didn't look too sure either. "We don't have much option but how can we use Kitty? She can barely form sentences yet."

"I'm thinking it needs to be done when Bella isn't around. Oh I know! Remember Edward needs a child seat for the back of his car? That'll be the perfect excuse to take him along to a baby store. Then in the store maybe Kitty will react to an item and say that she's going to be a big sister. Once she says that it should prompt Edward to ask her what she means by she's going to be a big sister!" I said squealing to Jasper that I found a way to get the message out. "I know the perfect place! Go to Weego baby!"

"How do I prompt Kitty to say that she is going to be a big sister?" Jasper asked looking like he wasn't sure what will help coax Kitty.

"I'm thinking if you go near a stroller and tease her if she wanted one, she might say her baby brother or sister needs one. It could maybe work on a crib too. You get the general idea. Just keep taunting her with whatever items you might think works in the store." I replied more sure of my plan now that I've simulated the scenario.

"When should I call Edward?" Jasper asked wanting to know when we need to get our plan in motion.

"Actually tomorrow would be perfect. I know Edward has the day off. Tell him I said that you need to take him child seat shopping and need to baby sit Kitty. I'm sure that will motivate him to spend the day with you." I told Jasper confidently as I know Edward will not refuse with anything that had the name Kitty in it.

"Hi Bella. Let's have a girls' day tomorrow. You haven't done anything girly in a while. Let's get our hair and nails done and eat something yummy. Jasper said he'll look after Kitty." I said to Bella on the phone.

"I guess I could use a little trimming and a pedicure and I'm in the mood for Godiva's chocolate cheesecake at Cheesecake factory. You're on Alice." She said. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to spend half an hour begging her to go. I was starting to like this pregnant Bella. I think the food cravings were working in my favor.

"All right. Come by with Kitty around 10 a.m. I'll get us an appointment for our hair and nails so that we can go to cheesecake factory in the afternoon and have lunch and dessert there." I was really excited and was starting to forget that I was sending Jasper out on a really important mission.

"Jazzy I've done my work. Now it's your turn." I said.

Jasper nodded and picked up his phone. "Hey Edward, do you have plans tomorrow? I was hoping maybe you can hang out with me. I'm gonna have Kitty for the day. Bella and Alice are having a girls' day. I was thinking maybe I can take you child seat shopping." Jasper said looking a little nervous. "Okay maybe you can drop by my place around 10 a.m. and pick me and Kitty up," he said to Edward. I was happy that Jasper suggested Edward to pick him up. That way Edward will have to come back again to drop Jasper and Kitty off. I could invite Bella and Edward for dinner at our place and give them the opportunity to talk. I'm sure Edward would want to talk to Bella about Kitty telling him about the baby. Well if Jasper succeeds that is.

"That was perfect Jazzy. Make sure to pick some food up on your way back so we can invite Edward, Kitty, and Bella for dinner. Hopefully Edward will talk to Bella or if he doesn't say anything at our place we'll just have to make sure Kitty falls asleep on his lap so that he'll have to carry Kitty to Bella's and give them an opportunity to talk there alone." I said hoping that my brother will have the guts to approach Bella about the pregnancy. I was thoroughly satisfied with our plan and jumped on Jasper and showered him with kisses.

**Jasper POV**

Alice and Bella left to go on their girls' day out. Kitty had been eagerly looking out the window waiting for Edward to arrive.

"Edward's car!" She squealed. I took her hand and led her out the door.

"Hi Edward" Kitty said and she jumped into Edward's arms.

"How's my lil angel today?" Edward asked with a huge smile on his face.

I really enjoy watching Edward and Kitty together. They always look happy together. "Let's get going Edward." I said to Edward and gave him the directions to get to Weego baby.

When we got to the store Edward was a little surprised but excited at the same time. "Wow this store's got everything and it's so Alice," he laughed.

I led them through the store and approached the crib area first. "Hey Kitty do you want one of those?" I said trying to seem as if I was teasing her.

"I'm not a baby." Kitty said and tried to walk ahead of me. Okay I tried. On to the next item.

"Aww don't be mad princess. I know you're not a baby." I said smiling to her to make sure she doesn't get upset and want to leave the store before I was done with my mission for the day.

Then I lead them towards the stroller. "Oh this is so cute. Do you want one Kitty?" I said teasing her again and pointing to a stroller that was made for newborns.

"I'm not a baby. Mommy needs this." She said. Hooray. I gotta see if Edward heard her. When I glanced at Edward had a very confused look on his face.

While we were passing the diaper bag section Kitty stopped and pointed. "What's this?"

"It's a bag that turns into a changing pad," I opened the bag and pointed to the changing pad section. "You put the baby here and change diapers" I said.

"Mommy needs this" Kitty said.

I scratched my head and acted as if I was stuck in a rock and a hard place so that it would prompt Edward to ask something.

"I'm a big sister! Mommy's tummy go big. Can I have this?" Kitty asked happily.

"Erm Kitty not today. You can come here again with Aunty Ally okay." I said and tried to lead Kitty to another section in the store.

As we were walking Edward tapped me on my shoulder. When I looked at him Edward raised one of his brows and looked at me. "Jasper I saw you acting dumb like you don't know anything. What is Kitty talking about that she's going to be a big sister and that Bella's tummy is going to get big?" Edward whispered to me trying hard not to let Kitty hear that he was annoyed with me.

"It's not my place to tell you Edward. You need to ask Bella." I whispered back to Edward but knew that was an answer in itself.

Edward gasped when he heard my response. "She's pregnant isn't she? So that's why they couldn't administer certain drugs at the ER. I couldn't figure out why they were not using some of the drugs that were standard procedure. They couldn't because she was pregnant," he said nodding to himself and was having a conversation to himself. It looked a little creepy that he just kept on and on muttering something and every once in a while I would hear a soft gasp and again he would keep muttering something that was barely audible.

We went to the section that carried the child car seats. Edward picked a red one but he was also staring at the infant car seat that looked like a bassinet. I whispered, "Don't get ahead of yourself. I think the reason Bella didn't want others to know is because she's concerned about miscarriage. Now that Kitty's told you, maybe you can approach the subject to Bella and advise her with your medical background. I think it would really help ease her concern." I said genuinely but making an emphasis on the fact that he heard the news from Kitty. I felt like sticking my tongue out like a kid.

I told Edward I needed to make a call while he was paying for the car seat. Kitty was holding Edward's hands so I was able to slip out by myself and quickly texted Alice.

I typed "Mission complete. Better than good. E was even looking at bassinet," and sent the text to Alice. I quickly got a reply back from Alice. "Purrfect," it said.

Edward and Kitty came out of the store and Kitty said that she was hungry and wanted a burger and a chocolate shake so I suggested we go to Johnny Rockets on 3rd street promenade.

When we finished eating Kitty said she wanted to go to dolly muse. Edward and I glanced to each other if either one of us knew what she was talking about. We had no luck there so I picked up the phone to call Alice. "Hey darling I need some help. Kitty wants to go to dolly muse. What or where is a dolly muse?" I asked her as soon as Alice picked up the phone.

I heard a loud laughter from Alice and heard her telling Bella that we were confused of what the dolly muse was. "Jasper, remember we all took Kitty to Angels attic? I think she wants to say doll museum. Make sure you carry her in the store so that she doesn't touch anything breakable," she said laughing.

"Edward she meant to say doll museum not dolly muse. It's really close from here. I know where it is. We've been there before. It's called Angels Attic. The house is gorgeous. When you see it you'll know why Kitty is Bella's daughter. It must be embedded in their genes. The house looks like something out of a classic novel. You know Bella's love for Jane Austen and classic novels right? Well you'll get to experience watching Kitty. Her facial expression was exactly like Bella's when they were both looking at everything there," I said reflecting back to the time we went there.

"Wow I'd like to see that," he said with twinkle in his eyes. He looked really excited to go.

When we got to Angel's Attic, Edward carried Kitty and they looked like they were in their own world while we looked around in Angels Attic. I chuckled when I noticed several old aged couples staring at us and whispering something to each other. Edward looked at me to see what I was chuckling about so I just waved my hand to let him know it was nothing. I had a feeling we looked like a gay couple to them. It was better that I didn't tell Edward why I was chuckling. He might tell Alice without thinking about the consequence of what Alice could do with such information. If Emmett found out he will never let it go.

**Edward POV**

We rushed back to the apartment after we picked up dinner. Alice and Bella were on their way back. Jasper, Kitty and I set ourselves on the couch and started to watch Fairly Oddparents. Kitty seemed to really love the show but both Jasper and I were watching Kitty's reaction to the show more than the actual TV show.

As Alice and Bella walked into the apartment Kitty got up and flew into Alice's arm. "Aunty Alice. Pressie?" she asked Alice.

"Of course princess do you think I would come home without buying you anything?" Alice answered and started to dig through her shopping bags while Bella was frowning behind Alice. Alice pulled out a few books. "Your Mommy only let me buy you books." Alice said pouting. Kittty didn't seem to mind at all and was looking through the books humming some kind of song I had never heard of.

We sat around and chatted and Kitty sat in my lap with one of the new books Alice had gotten her. It was called "Miaow Miaow Bow Bow," that had a lot of animals in it. While I was reading the book to her Alice and Jasper joined in making animal sounds in the background and Kitty started laughing really hard. I could barely continue to read from laughing myself.

Ever since Bella and Kitty walked into my life I found pleasure in little things in life. Up until I came to LA my life was all about work. Now I'm spending more time with my family than I ever have. My relationship with my family improved immensely and my mother started to call me often as I no longer brush her off with an excuse of being busy. I'm starting to have balance in my life all thanks to Bella and Kitty.

All the laughing made us hungry so we quickly set the table and ate. Jasper volunteered to help Kitty eat and Bella and I chuckled watching Jasper struggling getting spaghetti in Kitty's mouth.

"The spaghetti is alive," Jasper joked and Kitty laughed. Jasper didn't cut the spaghetti so most of it was hanging out like worms were swarming in Kitty's mouth.

"Oh my gosh that is just too icky, it looks like worms" Alice laughed and almost fell off her chair.

"Alice, where's your manners?" Bella said laughing.

"Settle down kids." I said and stepped in as I was starting to be afraid that Kitty might choke on her food. I ended up sticking my fingers in her mouth and pulled the spaghetti out as she had way too much in her mouth. It made the three of them laugh even harder. I gave them a death glare and cut up some of my ravioli instead of the spaghetti and fed them to Kitty.

"You're no fun. Party pooper!" Jasper and Alice pouted jokingly and Kitty giggled.

Dinner was fun and we all sat by the TV while Alice popped in the DVD of "The Tale of Despereaux" she rented so that we could all watch something together Kitty included. Kitty was doing fine till about half of the movie but she started struggling towards the end of the movie and fell asleep. By the end of the movie Alice was also asleep on Jasper's lap. Jasper, Bella and I finished watching the movie and Bella and I said our goodbyes to and I carried Kitty to Bella's apartment.

**Bella POV**

Things have been really great with Edward and Kitty and they have become inseparable. I've heard about children having a hard time adjusting with having another man stepping into their lives. Kitty didn't go territorial over me and have welcomed Edward being around me.

Edward went to tuck Kitty in bed while I made coffee. "Would you like some cake with that? Alice and I went to cheesecake factory today and bought some Godiva's chocolate cheesecake." I offered Edward.

"Mmmm that looks delicious. That piece is a little too much for me, would you care to share with me?" Edward asked. I smiled and nodded.

Edward sat on the stool by the breakfast bar and started to tell me what they did today. Then he stopped and looked down and started to run his fingers through his hair nervously. I joined him and sat on the stool beside him instead of leading him to the living room.

"Is something wrong Edward?" I asked him confused why he would act so nervous suddenly when he was just telling me what they did today at Angel's attic.

"Jasper took me to Weego baby today and I purchased a child seat for Kitty for my car." Edward said.

I was really surprised. "Oh no you too? You guys are all too kind to us. I feel terrible you all are spending so much money on us."

"Don't feel bad. I wanted to do this for you two but that's not exactly what I want to talk about. I'm not sure how to say this without offending you or crossing over a line," he said nervously.

"You can tell me anything Edward. You won't offend me. Really." I said to Edward as I really wanted to know what was on his mind.

"Kitty told me she was going to be a big sister and that you were having a baby," he said in a manner as if he was sorry that he now knew about my pregnancy.

I didn't mean to but I sighed. "Did she seem happy that she was going to be a big sister?" I asked trying to smile to him to let him know that it was okay he knew.

"She seemed really excited. Are you?" Edward asked looking straight into my eyes.

"I feel like I'm letting people down but I'm having mixed feelings about the baby. I wasn't prepared for this. Part of me feels like the baby is a gift from Stephen, but a bigger part of me is just scared. I'm really scared. I feel so alone. I don't know how I'm going to get through this. Kitty is still so young and she needs my attention right now and…,"

Edward stood up from his stool. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and hugged me really tight. He gave me a kiss on my head and I felt his thumb on my cheek. Until then I didn't realise I was crying and that he was brushing my tears off my face. I don't know why but I got up from my stool and wrapped my arms around his waist and snuggled into his chest. I don't know how long I cried while he held me. I felt him gently rubbing circles in my back the whole time and whispering to me over and over again that he will be there for me and that he isn't going anywhere and that I'm not alone in this. I not only have him but I have all his family too. He made me feel safe and secure and I felt myself trusting him that I would be able to count on him.


	9. Chapter 9 Nine of Cups

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot.

The locations mentioned in this chapter are all from Forks mentioned in Twilight.

Thanks for all the comments I really appreciate getting feedback.

**Chapter 9 Nine of Cups**

**Characters: Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, Bella, and Kitty**

**Edward POV**

It's been a week since I last saw Bella. Work's been hectic and I couldn't make time. I've kept in touch over the phone and we texted each other often. It has been really frustrating that I haven't been able to see her after how we left things off. I really felt like we made a connection. It wasn't just a hug to me. I felt a pull to her that I have never felt before. I made a promise to her that I am going to be there for her and I meant all of it. I can't put a name to what I feel for her. What I do know is that I am going to be there for her whether I end up just being friends or more. I feel the need to be with her. This isn't just for her, it's for me too.

Emmett has been harassing me for days that he needed to see me. I've been brushing him off as I can't even make time for Kitty and Bella but he just won't give up so I finally gave in and he's coming to my place tonight. I've never seen Emmett so persistent in wanting to see me. What could be so important?

At least he's coming over with some food. For that I'm thankful. I don't know what he wants to talk about. I don't see him wanting to talk about Rosalie to me. He usually goes to Jasper or Alice if he wants relationship advice. I really wonder what's up with him.

I hear the doorbell and I let Emmett in. I'm surprised to see him looking serious. This must be bad. I don't think I've ever seen Emmett so serious before.

"I brought some Chinese take-out," he said and sat down.

"Wanna eat first or get down to whatever you wanna talk about?" I asked.

"Let's talk while we eat. No need to let good food go cold." he said and started to dig into the food.

I felt myself running my fingers through my hair nervously. I didn't feel like eating until I heard what Emmett had to say.

"So what do you want to say to me Emmett?" I asked.

He sighed and started talking, "Lil bro you are good looking, successful, and actually have a great personality. You can get any woman you want. I don't mean to be callous. I really love Bella like my sister but do you really want to get tied down to a woman with a 3 year old daughter and on top of that she's expecting another child that isn't even yours?" he asked and I was stunned.

The carefree child like brother of mine was actually attempting to care about my well being. Shocked wouldn't describe what I was feeling.

"Umm Emmett I really don't know what to say. I'm at loss for words. I didn't anticipate you bringing something like this up." I said truthfully.

"Look lil bro. I know what your relationships were like. It was either love 'em and leave 'em or you got burnt. You never really had a descent relationship before. We all love you and Bella. A single mom isn't someone you fool around with unless you really want to be with them. Are you ready to take on the responsibility? I know Mom, Dad, Jasper, and Alice, are all excited about you two getting together. Heck I was even excited in the beginning too but since I heard from Rosie last week that Bella was expecting again I'm having doubts. I'm sorry that I'm meddling in your business but I don't want the two of you getting hurt," he said and I felt myself tensing.

"You're wrong about my previous relationships Emmett. I didn't love them and leave them like you so eloquently put it." I know he said what he said because he cared about Bella and I but what he said about my previous relationships rubbed me the wrong way.

"Well then what would you call the relationship you had with Tanya?" He asked in a irritated tone.

"She wanted to pursue her career in Opera in New York and I wanted to pursue my career here. We're both ambitious and it just wasn't going to work." I was starting to feel very frustrated with him.

"That's not what I heard Edward. Rosie still keeps in touch with Tanya you know, she became friends with her after we met her when we visited you in Chicago. Tanya called Rosie in tears when you turned her down when she begged you to let her come to LA with you. You blamed the reason for you two breaking up on career and distance. Was it really? Wasn't it because you didn't love her? You never really loved her Edward. I saw that in your eyes when I saw you two in Chicago. Admit it Edward," he said and his words cut me like a knife. It was true. He saw right through me. I didn't love Tanya and I did string her along even after I had realised that I wasn't in love with her..

"I admit that I did not treat Tanya the way I should have. You're right I didn't love her but I did care about her. She just wasn't someone I wanted to be spend the rest of my life with. She was ambitious and her career came first just like me. I hid from the truth like a coward. It was easier for me to just tell her that I didn't think it was going to work between us because of the distance rather than telling her I didn't love her nor feel that she was someone I wanted for my wife. My feelings towards Bella are genuine. I really care about Bella and Kitty. My priorities are different now. Don't you see that? I want to make them my priority. Work doesn't have the appeal like it used to. It's not the most important thing to me anymore. I have this overwhelming desire to want to protect them and to be there for them." I said to Emmett and instantly felt embarrassed that I poured my heart out to him.

Then I saw Emmett's posture relax and he nodded. "I'm glad I had this conversation with you lil bro. I was wrong about you. I had thought that Jessica broke you and that you were no longer the sweet and caring brother I used to know. You seemed so cold and distant when I saw you in Chicago. I guess Mom and Alice saw that you were back to your old self again. I understand that your feelings towards Bella and Kitty are very strong but don't unleash all those feelings you have for them all at once. Tread light and slow lil bro." Emmett said and patted my shoulder. "And also just know that I will kick your ass to the moon and back if you hurt Bella and Kitty. If you mess up it's going to put a crack in the relationship our whole family have with Bella and Kitty," he said with a serious but caring look on his face. I nodded to him and squeezed his shoulder to let him know I understood him."If you and Bella can work through all the crap surrounding you two, then I really think you two were meant for each other. Damn shame you didn't meet her before Stephen did," he said.

"Thanks Emmett. I really do feel like I have made a connection with Bella. I promised her that I will be with her and take care of her," I said and Emmett looked confused so I explained to him about the hug Bella and I shared last week. I'm not really one to believe in fate but for some reason I felt that it was fate that brought Bella and me together.

**Bella POV**

I was packed and ready for Alice to ring me as the four of us were flying to Seattle to spend a few days in Forks for Thanksgiving with Esme and Carlisle. Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward were taking a later flight as Alice mentioned something about not wanting Esme and Carlisle to lose all of their children at once in case there was an accident. Just hearing her reason for precaution was freaking me out.

Kitty was excited that she gets to fly again. Unlike me she enjoyed flying. It probably had to have something to do with getting crayons and toys on the plane. We had a lot of suitcases and Jasper's equipment for the photo shoot to take with us. The suitcases contained many outfits Alice designed to be worn at the photo shoot at the Cullen's for Alice's catalogue. Rosalie and Emmett were also bringing some more suitcases that we couldn't take with us.

The flight wasn't too bad. It wasn't that long either but being pregnant I felt really bloated and my feet looked like they belonged on an elephant. Alice was smart and brought a pair of comfortable UGG boots for me just in case my feet do not fit back in the shoes I was wearing. She didn't like the UGG boots very much but considering the fact that I was pregnant she said it was excusable. It was cable knit and almost looked like I was just wearing a pair of socks. It was warm and comfortable so I wasn't going to complain especially since Alice wasn't complaining.

Both Esme and Carlisle came to pick us up in separate cars. Kitty and I rode with Carlisle and Alice and Jasper rode with Esme.

It was nice to be back this time around. Last time I was here Kitty was still too young to remember much. I'm planning to stop by my old house this time around. It still belonged to me, and my Dad's best friend Billy Black and his son Jacob took care of it for me. I was nervous about going there since I haven't stepped foot in there since after my Dad's funeral and that I might feel overwhelmed with memories of my Dad but I wanted Kitty to see the house.

Kitty and I were in Carlisle's car so that Alice could catch up with Esme. On the drive to the Cullen's Carlisle asked if I wanted him to drive past my old house. I know he knew I never returned to the house since Charlie died and only stayed at the Cullen's after that. "I'd like that Carlisle." I smiled to Carlisle.

Carlisle stopped the car in front of the house and I pointed to Kitty that this was the house that belonged to her granddaddy. Kitty scrunched up her nose. "So small and ugly," she said. I couldn't help but laugh. That was the first reaction I actually had when I saw it when I came back to live with my Dad my junior year in high school. I could see that Carlisle was trying to hold his laugh so that he wouldn't look rude. I chuckled. I quickly thanked Carlisle and we headed to the Cullen's house.

I had forgotten how beautiful the ride to the Cullen's was. It was in a secluded forested area. When we got to the house Kitty gasped. "So pretty," she said in awe. I smiled and nodded. Carlisle picked her up and led us into the house. He told us to just relax in the living room while he brought the suitcases in. The living room was beautifully decorated just like Alice had requested. It felt odd that we were here for Thanksgiving when the living room had a Christmas tree and was fully decorated as if it was Christmas.

"You should try and relax Bella. Tomorrow is going to be a long day with the photo shoot. I heard from Alice she finally bullied you into posing for the maternity designs." Carlisle chuckled.

"I can never win against Alice." I said to Carlisle.

I heard the door open and heard Esme's voice. "Where's my granddaughter?"

"Grammie!" Kitty squealed and ran towards Esme and she picked her up and carried her into the living room.

"Carlisle will you please go help Jasper with the suitcases?" Esme asked Carlisle.

"Well I'm going to go and make some snack for everyone. By the time I'm done the others should arrive. Would you care to help me Bella?" Esme asked.

"Sure Esme. Kitty, you stay here and watch TV okay?" I said to Kitty so that she doesn't get in anyone's way.

Alice came bouncing into the kitchen. "Oh guess what Bella. Angela's coming in to assist Jasper tomorrow. You know she's also a photographer right?"

"Angela? Like Angela from Forks High? Wow I haven't seen her in years. I'm surprised you stayed in touch with her." I said as I never saw Alice as the type who'd be in touch with Angela. I was good friends with Angela in high school but lost touch after I moved to Seattle.

"Well I didn't exactly keep in touch. Mom ran into Mrs. Webber and told her about Jasper's and my business and that we were taking pictures for my catalogue over Thanksgiving so Angela called my Mom and got my number and she offered me her service. That's how I found out that she was a photographer." Alice said excitedly.

"Well that's awesome. It would've been challenging if Jasper had to do everything and adjusting lighting while he was taking pictures would have been tough if he had to do it alone. The photo shoot would probably take less time with Angela assisting him."

While Esme, Alice, and I chatted and helped Esme make some snacks Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward arrived. Kitty heard Edward's voice and went running toward the door and jumped into his arms.

"Kids go freshen up. Bella I've set you and Kitty up in the room beside Edward's. It has an attached bathroom with a bigger bathtub and dual removable shower head so it should be easier when you bathe Kitty," Esme said.

"Thank you Esme." I had a sneaking suspicion that Esme probably renovated the bathroom for us.

I knew where the room was so I carried Kitty up the stairs and went into the room next to Edward's bedroom. Carlisle had already brought our luggage into the room so I quickly pulled out some fresh clothes and laid it out on the bed. While I was looking around the room I realised that this room was connected to Edward's bedroom. I took Kitty's hand and walked into the bathroom. When I got into the bathroom it suddenly dawned on me that this bathroom was probably the one Edward uses when he's back home. We were probably inconveniencing Edward by taking over his bathroom. I quickly wet the washcloth and wiped Kitty's face and hands and took her back to the bedroom and changed her clothes. I took out some toys from the suitcase and set her down on the carpet and told her to play with her toys. I really felt bad about the bathroom and decided to talk to Edward about it.

I knocked on the door that connected our room. I heard Edward unlock the door. "Hi Bella can I help you with something?" He smiled and asked.

"Well actually I wanted to discuss with you the bathroom situation," I said to him and he gave me a very confused look.

"I didn't realise that this room was connected and that the bathroom we're using was yours." I said to him.

"Don't worry about it Bella. There's another bathroom at the end of the hall," he smiled said to me.

"This is your house and your bathroom. Kitty and I'll just move to another room. If you could just show me where it is, I don't want to inconvenience Esme." I said.

"Bella, I'm really fine using the other bathroom. Don't worry about it," he said trying to assure me.

"Okay I'll give you 2 options to choose from. I'll keep this door unlocked and we share the bathroom or you help me move to another room." I told him.

He looked very uneasy and said, "Bella, Mom really wants you to use this bathroom. You're putting me in a rock and a hard place."

Hmmm so my suspicion was right that Esme renovated this bathroom for Kitty and I but why did she renovate this bathroom and not one in another room? Then a thought crossed my mind. Maybe Esme knows I was attracted to Edward and somehow thought maybe we'd want to shower together? No it can't be… I felt myself blushing when images of Edward showering with me flashed through my mind.

"You're blushing Bella. What's going on in your head? Imagining me showering are you?" he winked at me.

I felt myself blush even harder and I could see that I was blushing down to my chest. "So which is it? Share the bathroom or help us move?" I said hoping that I won't blush any more than I already have.

He sighed. "All right. You're so stubborn Bella. I'll agree to share the bathroom. I'll just quickly shower now so that you can take your time," he said and went towards his closet. He then returned holding a toiletry bag and a terry robe and went into the bathroom. I noticed that the toiletry kit was from Ermenegildo Zegna. Either Edward has incredible taste or Alice must have gotten it for him. But then again he's a Cullen of course he owns the finer things.

**Edward POV**

When Mom told me she wanted to renovate my bathroom and that she was moving the things in my connecting room back to my room I thought nothing of it. I was surprised when Mom told Bella to take the room beside my bedroom until I saw Alice smirking. That evil conniving pixie had done it again. She must have schemed with Mom. I should be upset at them but I was actually feeling giddy about that I would be sharing the bathroom with Bella and in order to do that I would get to go through her room.

I quickly showered, shaved, and got out of the shower. When I was going to tell Bella that I was done using the bathroom I noticed that Kitty was tucked in bed and Bella asleep on top of the bedspread. I wanted to let Bella take a nap for a while but I was sure Mom would be calling us downstairs soon for dinner so I decided to wake Bella up. I softly nudged Bella and she moaned a little. She sounded so sexy she took my breath away. I quickly shook off the improper images of Bella that just crossed my mind. I nudged her again and she finally woke up.

"Oh I must have fallen asleep. Thank you for waking me up," she said and smiled at me.

"No problem. I felt bad waking you up but I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable if you didn't get to freshen up before Mom called us back downstairs," I said and smiled. As I was leaving her room I noticed Bella staring at my chest that was exposed from the bathrobe and she blushed again. I felt like teasing her but I stopped myself just in case I would be pushing it too far.

I quickly changed and went down to the living room. Emmett was spread out on the couch and Jasper was busy setting up the equipment for tomorrow. Then I heard Alice come down the stairs. I quickly went to her and pinned her against the wall. I raised one of my eyebrows and asked, "You and Mom had something to do with putting Bella and Kitty in the room next to me didn't you?" I glared at Alice.

"I did you a favor, thank me!" she said without denying even for a second.

I shook my head, she slipped out of my hold, and went bouncing into the kitchen.

I didn't want to get in Jasper's way in the living room so I followed after her into the kitchen and sat on the stool at the breakfast bar.

"Did Bella and Kitty settle in all right?" Mom asked me smirking. I still couldn't get over the fact that my own mother would team up with Alice.

"Oh by the way thanks Mom. Bella and I are now sharing the bathroom," I said in a sarcastic tone and even though Mom was looking down I swear I saw the corner of Mom's lips lift up like she was grinning.

"Would you help me and go set the table?" Mom ignored my comment and asked so I got up and went to the dining room. While I was walking out of the kitchen I saw the evil pixie whisper something into Mom's ear and giggle together. As I was setting the table I noticed that we now had a black children's high chair in the dining room. I would've thought Mom would have gotten a cute white one for Kitty. This high chair was just black and plain. As I was staring at it Alice came pirouetting into the dining room.

"You like it? It's an Ineke Hans design. It's called Black beauty supperman chair." She said proudly. I didn't really have any comment so I just snorted.

"Hey it's not my fault you don't appreciate the beauty of it. It is a thousand dollar high chair you know," she said and left the dining room.

When dinner was just about ready Bella came down carrying a very sleepy Kitty in her arms. I quickly went to Bella help Bella, took Kitty from her and carried her to the dining room, and sat her into the high chair.

We all gathered and sat to eat dinner. "So Bella what are you planning to do tomorrow morning ?" Mom asked her.

"I'm thinking of taking Kitty to my old house," she said smiling.

"Are you sure you want to go with just Kitty?" Alice asked worriedly.

I didn't understand why Alice looked so worried when Bella was just taking Kitty to her old house but I decided to offer her my service. "Would you like me to take you Bella? They are saying it might rain hard in the morning. I'd be more than happy to drive," I said.

"You really wouldn't mind? There's really nothing much to see but I just want Kitty to see inside the house. I'm not planning to sell it any time soon but just in case I want Kitty to see it and I haven't set foot in that house since my Dad's funeral," she said. Oh so that's why Alice looked worried. She must be afraid that Bella might break down seeing memories of her father there.

"I'd love to Bella," I said and smiled at her.

After dinner we all went to lounge in the living room but Kitty started to fuss probably from being tired from the trip so Bella said goodnight to everyone and headed to the bedroom.

I stayed with my family for a few hours watching T.V. and we all shared what was up currently in our lives with Mom and Dad. I started to struggle to stay awake so I excused myself and headed to my bedroom. Even though I agreed to share the bathroom with Bella and Kitty I assumed Kitty must already be asleep so I quickly used the bathroom in the other guestroom first and went to my bedroom. Then I noticed that Bella didn't just unlock the door connecting our rooms she had it wide open and when I went to the door I saw the lights were on and Bella was reading a story book to Kitty.

I stood by the door and watched her read while Kitty listened. Then Bella noticed me watching them. "She's tired but too excited to fall asleep," Bella said frowning.

"Edward!," Kitty said and she patted the covers to tell me to come over. I looked at Bella to ask if it was okay and she nodded. As I was walking around the bed to go to the other side Kitty lifted the covers for me to get under the covers. I wasn't sure if Bella would appreciate that but when I looked at her she smiled so I slipped under the covers beside Kitty. Kitty scooted over and snuggled into me so I slid further down the bed and rested my head on the pillow while I held her and Bella kept reading.

Bella's voice was so soft and melodic it almost sounded like a lullaby and I instantly felt myself relax. Kitty's warmth was also really comforting and I started to struggle to stay awake and felt myself nodding off.

***************

A/N

Do you guys want another chapter in Forks starting with Bella POV from the point that Edward fell asleep on bed and Edward going to Charlie's house with Bella and Kitty? And possibly some of the photo shoot? If not I'll just start the next chapter back in LA. Please review and let me know. Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10 Nine of Cups Part 2

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot.

**Chapter 10 Nine of Cups Part 2**

**Characters: Bella, Edward, Kitty, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Kitty, Sue, Billy Black, and Jacob Black**

**Bella POV**

I heard Kitty's snore so I looked down and not only saw that Kitty was asleep but so was Edward. They looked so adorable I didn't have the heart to wake Edward up. I leaned against the headboard and watched them sleep. I was reflecting back to the time when I first met Edward. He looked exactly the same as he did now peacefully asleep. At that time I never dreamed of seeing him again and now he was asleep in my bed. Guilt used to fill my thoughts when I thought of Edward. I felt like I was cheating on Stephen and also that I was taking Kitty away from Stephen if I got closer to Edward.

At times I still felt that way but every time I saw Kitty's face lighten when she was with Edward those thoughts quickly vanished. Small children and animals seemed far more intuitive than adults. Maybe it is because their hearts are so pure. I think Kitty sensed goodness in Edward from the very moment she saw him at the airport.

The heartbreaking fact about the whole situation was that Kitty had never been happier. I think when Stephen was with Kitty she understood that he was sick but didn't understand the degree of how sick Stephen was. There were so many days that she wanted to play with Stephen but he couldn't.

Some days he was too weak to even hold her or even smile at her. He tried his best to take Kitty out to play and took a lot of pictures and video with her so that she had something to remember him by when he was gone. Towards the end of Stephen's battle with cancer Kitty was afraid to go near him at the hospital because of all the wiring, tubes, and oxygen mask. The hospital really scared her. I had to have her stay at home with a babysitter because she refused to come to the hospital with me and that broke Stephen's heart. I tried to assure Stephen so many times that she wasn't scared of him but just that she was scared of the hospital.

I also thought that Kitty intuitively knew that Stephen wasn't going to be around much longer and she was too sad to be near him. I sensed that maybe Kitty thought by staying away from the hospital and not accepting the fact that he was ill he would never leave her.

Recently there were times I felt a sense of loss when Edward and I said our goodbyes. The night when Edward found out that I was pregnant I didn't want him to leave. His hug was so tender and caring. I felt safe and loved. I don't really know how Edward felt about me and I don't quite know how I felt about him either but I always wanted him around me. It felt like something had grown between us. I can't put a name on it yet but it felt good, warm, comfortable, safe, and complete.

Kitty and Edward were asleep in my bed peacefully. I wished this moment would never end. I quickly turned the lights off and went to sleep. The rhythmic breathing of Edward and Kitty relaxed me and I drifted off to sleep.

I felt a little kick on my thigh. I smelled something really good. It smelled like a mixture of spices and cinnamon with a hint of something sweet. I was also surrounded with warmth. Then something itchy rubbed against my forehead. I realised that I was in a half dream state. It felt like I had slept for hours. It felt so good I didn't want to open my eyes but the itchy feeling wouldn't go away. I finally opened one eye and saw Edward. Oh yeah I totally forgot that we all slept together in my bed. My body was turned towards him and my right arm was stretched over his pillow and his head rested on my arm. His chin rested on my forehead. I shifted my eyes down and saw that Kitty was snuggled in my chest and my left hand rested on Edward's chest. Both Edward's and my legs were tangled together, and Edward's right arm draped over my hips. My right hand and wrist were asleep so I couldn't move it to pull it back towards me.

There was no way I could sneak out of the bed. Edward needed to wake up before Kitty woke up. If she saw us together in bed she will most likely tell Esme and Alice then the whole family would know. It was okay even if they knew since we didn't do anything but they may not believe us especially Emmett. He would have a field day teasing us.

Since my left hand was free, I softly tapped his shoulder with my fingers to try to wake him up without waking Kitty up. She was securely snuggled into my chest so if I moved too much it would wake her up.

Since the tapping didn't work I switched to poking his arm. That didn't work either so I tugged on his hair. That didn't work either so I tapped my index finger lightly on his cheek. Thank heaven and the stars Edward finally stirred. "Edward! Edward! Wake up! Edward! Edward! Wake up!" I whispered. It almost felt like I was chanting.

Edward sleepily opened his eyes and he blinked several times and gasped. "I'm so sorry I must have fallen asleep," he said in a raspy voice. Thankfully his voice was quiet enough that it didn't wake Kitty up.

Edward slipped out of the bed and stood up. He pointed towards the shower so I nodded and gestured him to go ahead. When I looked at clock on my nightstand I saw that it was already 8 a.m. I was surprised that Alice hadn't come bouncing into my room.

Edward came out of the shower and waved at me and headed to his room. Kitty was asleep so I got up and went to take a shower. When I came out of the shower Kitty wasn't in the bedroom so I assumed that she was with Edward.

I quickly got dressed and went downstairs and saw Esme, Alice, Kitty, and Edward at the breakfast bar.

"Good morning sleepy head," Alice said and Kitty giggled. "We've all had breakfast except you," she said and I saw Edward and Kitty done with their breakfast. I quickly sat down beside them and Edward handed me a plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuit with gravy.

"Would you like to head out to your house as soon as you finish eating?" Edward asked.

"If it's okay with you," I replied and Edward nodded.

"I thought maybe you might want to have lunch at your house so I packed some sandwiches and there is coffee in one of the thermos and the other contains hot chocolate, there's also a couple juice box in the basket as well." Esme said smiling.

"Oh thank you so much Esme I didn't even think about food or drinks. You're so awesome Esme," I said and hugged Esme.

**Edward POV**

Bella told me that she wanted to visit Charlie's grave before we went to the house. We stopped by the florist and she purchased a bouquet of Casablanca for Charlie. I thought maybe I should stay behind in the car but Bella wanted me to come with her and Kitty to Charlie's grave.

When we got to the grave Bella placed the flowers on Charlie's grave and sat down on the grass so I followed suit right beside her.

"Hi Dad, I'm sorry it's been a while. I came here with 3 very special people in my life. Kitty's 3 years old now you know, and this is Edward, Alice's brother. You probably know him but I only met him a little while ago. Dad I'm also having another baby. I'm in my second trimester. You get to be a granddad for the second time. So sorry you never got to hold Kitty nor this new baby. I'm going to the house today Dad. Please give me the strength so that I'll be okay. I'm so scared to step into the house Dad. It's going to be so empty without you there. You won't be sitting in your chair. Your cruiser isn't going to be parked in the driveway. I'm sorry I never got to tell you that one of the best decisions I made in my life was to come to Forks to live with you. I'm glad I got to spend a few years with you. Even though we didn't talk much in high school please know that I loved you." Bella said with tears rapidly falling down her cheeks. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to me.

"Would it be all right if I said something too?" I asked Bella.

"Oh of course," Bella replied surprised.

"Hello Chief Swan. It's Edward Cullen. I'm sure you remember me from all the times you stopped Emmett and I for speeding. I'm a lot careful now. I'm not the irresponsible teenager you probably remember me by. I'm a pediatrician now. I love children and try my best everyday to heal them and to give them as much time as I can to be with their parents when they are really ill. It breaks my heart to see Bella and Kitty cry. Please know Chief Swan, Bella and Kitty mean the world to me and I promise I will do everything in my power to keep them safe and happy. Bella and Kitty have been wonderful to me and have made my life complete. They have brought me back to my family and I cannot thank them more. You have raised a lovely daughter and she is like family to all of us. My family adores her, my mother and my father think of them as their own. Please know that we love them and that they will always be safe with us," I said and Bella wrapped her arms around me and thanked me.

We quietly walked hand in hand back towards the car to head to her house.

When we got to the house Bella's hands were shaking so I took the key out of her hand and unlocked the door for her. I kept a close eye on her so that I would be ready to hold her if she needed support.

The house was really well kept and I was surprised to see that all the covers on the furniture were off and were folded and neatly stacked in the corner of the room.

"You look surprised," Bella said.

"Um I wasn't expecting the house to look like someone was still living here." I replied confused. I had expected to see an almost empty house.

"My Dad's girlfriend Sue occasionally comes here. She comes here when she misses him and the Black's also come here to air it out often. I've told them they can use it anytime they want. So that's why it looks like someone still lives here but most of the stuff my Dad owned were given away or packed in boxes in his bedroom" she said.

I was relieved to see that Bella was not breaking down in tears. Her eyes showed sadness but she managed a smile. I thought that the fact that we went to the grave first did a lot of good. She got things off her chest that she probably wanted to do for a very long time.

"Let me give you a tour. All though there isn't much to see," she said and giggled. "Well this is the entrance, those are the stairs that leads upstairs, that is the kitchen and that is the living room. The room left of the stairs is the laundry room. Let's go upstairs so that I can show you my room and my Dad's room," she said and led me upstairs with Kitty in my arms.

She pointed towards the room right of the stairs and said, "That's my Dad's room," and then pointed towards a floor board, "this floor board squeaks so you need to go around it if you don't want to get caught sneaking out at night," she said laughing. When I looked in Charlie's room it was full of boxes like Bella mentioned earlier and only had a queen size bed, chest, and a nightstand. We got out of the room and she pointed to the door that faced us and said, "the only bathroom in the house," and led us to a room on the left of the stairs. "This is my room," she said and opened the door for us to go in. The room was small but it looked cozy. There were boxes stacked in this room as well. There was a twin bed, a desk, a chest, a nightstand, and bookshelves. "Let's go back downstairs and sit in the kitchen," she said and led the way.

She noticed me staring at 2 burn marks on the wall in the kitchen. "Ah you noticed the burns. That one was made by Charlie when he burnt the steaks and that one was by Alice when she attempted to make breakfast for us," she said laughing.

"Are there any other damage created by Alice?" I asked laughing.

"Well if you look at the floor most of those tiny little dents were made by Alice bouncing in the room in heels," she said giggling. I had wondered what those were as they were all over the house.

We sat and she told many hilarious episodes of Alice and how much her Dad loved Alice. She even told me about an episode when her Dad caught Jasper and Alice making out on the couch and that her Dad threw Jasper out of the house. I laughed so hard imagining the look of horror on Jasper's face. He probably thought that Chief Swan was going to shoot him.

"Did you have a boyfriend when you were in high school?" I asked her.

"I dated Mike Newton for a short time my junior year and in my senior year I sort of dated Jacob Black," she replied frowning.

"You know I only remember Mike Newton as a little blonde haired kid with blue eyes picking his nose so it's hard to imagine him being on a date with you, but what do you sort of dated Jacob?" I asked not understanding what she meant by it.

"Well Charlie was best friends with Jacob's Dad Billy so Jacob used to come and visit me when Billy came over to watch the game. Jacob is 2 years younger than me and when I was a teenager I didn't really want to date someone younger than me but he insisted. Alice wasn't available much on weekends since she was already dating Jasper so she was usually in Seattle on weekends or with Jasper here in Forks so I spent a lot of time on the reservation with Jacob and his friends my senior year. We were never officially together but we went on dates occasionally but he just seemed like a little brother to me and nothing more although Jacob felt differently. He said he loved me and he didn't want me to go off to Seattle for college but I did anyway and things got weird between Jacob and me. He tried really hard to convince me to transfer to college in Port Angeles but I refused and in my senior year in college for Thanksgiving I brought Stephen back with me to Forks. I broke his heart." Bella told me and sighed.

"Oh I just remembered. Sue asked me if I'd join her for lunch at her house on the reservation tomorrow. I'd like it if you could come too. Would you like to? I thought maybe you've never been to the reservation so it might be fun for you. Billy is invited too. I'd like to introduce you to Billy too," she asked smiling.

"Thank you for asking me. I'd love to join you," I replied happily for including me in meeting the circle of people who cared about her.

"We should probably head back home before Alice freaks out that she doesn't have enough time to prepare you two for the photo shoot," she said giggling.

**Alice POV**

"Let me see the photos Jazzy," I said trying to move the computer screen towards my way so that I could see the pictures Jasper uploaded from his camera to the laptop. "Oh look that's the photo we took while they were asleep together this morning," I said thrilled that the photo looked so adorable. "Judging by how they acted this morning I'm pretty sure they don't know we took a picture of all three of them sleeping together in the same bed," I said to Jasper giggling.

"What are you going to do with this picture Alice?" Jasper asked raising one of his eyebrows.

"Well I'm going to pick some pictures I like and send the data to order original photo globe that's made from bohemian glass. I want to give them to Bella so that she can remember the first Christmas with Kitty and Edward and I'm sure Mom would want one of them too. The photo globe will look beautiful on the Christmas tree," I replied to Jasper and he looked really happy.

"That is so sweet darling. You always come up with such great ideas you never cease to amaze me," Jasper said and hugged me really tight. "Well let's look at the pictures so that you can send the data. Angela shot a lot of candid shots of all of us too so there might be some great ones from there also. I'm sure she took some of us too so you can make a photo globe with our pictures as well," Jasper said smiling.

"Well here's a really natural candid shot of Bella, Edward, and Kitty that I took when they were sitting in front of the fire place waiting around. They look so happy together," Jasper said.

"Oh wow, look at this one Edward is standing behind Bella and rubbing her belly bump. I wonder how that came about," I said and was really happy we captured such a tender moment of them together.

"Oh this one is funny and cute. Bella is asleep and leaning on Edward and Kitty is asleep with her head on Edward's lap." Jasper said and I remembered seeing them do that when we were on break while Jasper was setting up his equipment.

We finished choosing the pictures for the catalogue and for the photo globes. I was really happy that we all came home for Thanksgiving and that there seemed to be no more awkwardness between Bella and Edward. They simply looked comfortable and happy together.

"I'm really happy but surprised at the same time how much closer Edward and Bella are these days," I said to Jasper.

"My guess is that the turning point was the day Edward found out Bella was pregnant," Jasper said.

"You think so? I'm not sure but I'm thinking they got a lot closer when Edward was taking care of Bella after she blacked out," I told Jasper although I really wasn't sure either. They seemed to hit it off instantly from the time they met at the housewarming party. It was hard to pin point exactly when their relationship changed from friendship to something more.

**Bella POV**

When we knocked on Sue's door she greeted us with a big smile on her face and welcomed us into her house. "This is Edward Cullen," I introduced Edward to Sue.

"Oh you must be Carlisle and Esme's son. I'm so happy to meet you. I'm Sue Clearwater. Your mother and I are in the same gardening club," Sue introduced herself excited to meet Edward.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too Sue," Edward picked up her hand and kissed her hand gently.

As we made it through the hallway into the living room I saw Billy in his wheelchair smiling at us and then I saw someone I wasn't expecting to. Jacob was leaning by the counter staring at us with anger in his eyes.

"Hi Billy, Hi Jacob, so good to see you two again. This is Edward Cullen." I said.

Billy wheeled himself to Edward and stuck his hand out for a shake. "Hello Edward I'm Billy Black. You've grown into such a smart looking gentleman. Carlisle and Esme must be so proud."

"Thank you Billy, you're looking good yourself," Edward replied shaking Billy's hand and Billy laughed enjoying meeting Edward.

Jacob just leaned on the counter and didn't bother to come forward. I sighed a little and decided to not bother with Jacob. Sue caught on and led us to the dining room. "Have a seat you and I'll get you guys something to drink. Would hot apple cider be all right? I'll bring Kitty some hot chocolate milk." We nodded and thanked her.

Edward and I sat down and Billy wheeled himself and settled beside us. Jacob also sat with us in the dining room but he still looked indignant about something.

"How was it at the house? I thought of joining you there but I wanted to give you a private moment." Billy said to me with care in his eyes.

"I thought it would be really painful for me but I visited my Dad's grave before I went there so it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I felt like I owed it to Dad to visit the house again and now I feel good that I did. Dad loved the house and I'm really thankful to you and Sue that you two kept the house in such great condition. I made lots of great memories in that house. Edward came with me to the house yesterday and I told him some of the funny stories about his sister Alice at the house. You remember Alice don't you Billy?" I asked Billy.

"Oh I will never forget that little ball of energy. How is that little pixie sister of yours doing? Is she still bossing Jasper around?" Billy asked Edward laughing.

"She's doing really great and still constantly driving Jasper crazy. Jasper's apartment is a floor below Bella's. With both of them at the same apartment complex it makes it really easy for us all to get together." Edward replied and Billy was nodding excited to hear about Alice and Jasper.

While we were all having an animated conversation Jacob suddenly interrupted us and asked, "Bella, why are you pregnant again? Don't you have enough to deal with? I'm surprised you jumped into bed with this jerk so quickly."

We were all stunned with what Jacob said. I was furious and felt my blood boil. I felt my face turning red with anger. Billy was the first to react. "Jacob, leave now. I mean it," Billy yelled with rage. He was so loud that Kitty yelped and buried herself in Edward's chest.

Edward quickly got up with Kitty in his arms and signaled me to leave the room. I shook my head and signaled him that I was staying in my seat. Seeing that I wouldn't move from my seat Edward walked out of the dining room with Kitty and went to the kitchen where he could see me but Kitty wouldn't be able to hear what's going on.

Sue got up and grabbed Jacob's arms to drag him out of the room but Jacob wouldn't budge. "Out! This is my house. Leave on your own or I'm going to call Sam and the others to drag you out of the house," Sue screamed at him. With that Jacob muttered some profanities and threw daggers with his eyes towards Edward and then back to me.

"I'm not leaving till you tell me why you're making such a big mistake. Stay here in Forks Bella. You'll be happy here. You'll be surrounded by people who love you and want to be with you. I'm here for you. We're all here for you. You barely know this guy. He's just using you. He'll just leave you when he's had enough and then what? What are you going to do with a little girl and a newborn baby?" Jacob yelled at me.

I was beyond angry. I felt hate towards Jacob for what he just said to me. I felt my blood race upwards toward my head. I felt like I was going to burst from rage. My lips trembled but I finally managed to yell back at him, "You have no right to tell me what is wrong. I'm an adult, a mother, head of household, and a businesswoman. I'm not the child you remember me as. You're the one acting like a child. Don't pass judgment on me. Kitty and I are doing fine. The baby is fine. What goes on between Edward and I are none of your damn business. I have a life in LA now. We're happy there. Kitty has never been happier. So just get off your high horse and leave me alone." I yelled back at Jacob.

"You'll be back. He' won't be there when you really need him." Jacob spat the words out and left the house. Edward ran back into the dining room with Kitty cradled in his arms as soon as Jacob left the house.

"I am so sorry Bella. I don't understand why Jacob was so rude to you. He was excited to see you. I'm just surprised he acted so differently as soon as he saw you three. I'm so sorry we scared Kitty. There are no words to express how sorry I am about how my son acted," Billy apologized profusely.

"Billy, please do not apologize for Jacob. We all know the father of the baby is Stephen but I have no obligation to tell Jacob who the father of the baby is. It was wrong of him to assume the father was Edward but I don't care he can think whatever he wants. I think we both know why Jacob reacted the way he did. We both know Jacob always wanted more than friendship from me but I was never able to give him that. Let's start over and forget all of what just happened and enjoy ourselves shall we?" I said trying to lighten things up so that we enjoy each other's company and the hard work Sue put into cooking the food.

We all enjoyed the meal and Edward seemed really relaxed and talked about his job as a pediatrician and even told them about how we met at O'Hare.

"Oh isn't that such a sweet story. Renee would have loved you Edward. She was such a hopeless romantic. Charlie would have welcomed you too Edward. He wanted the best for Bella. To be honest Charlie loved Stephen but he never approved Stephen's career in music. Charlie was a simple hardworking man. He didn't believe in entertainment as a source to provide for the family. I think he is probably screaming at Stephen waving his gun at him in heaven right now," Sue said laughing.

We all laughed but it wasn't really that funny to me as it was highly likely that if Dad were able to do that in heaven to Stephen, he would be just doing exactly what Sue just said.

Kitty fell asleep in Edward's lap so we said our goodbyes and headed home. "I had a great time. I hope you did too. I'm sorry about Jacob's stunt I hope it didn't bother you too much." I apologized to Edward.

"Bella please don't apologize. I had a wonderful time. Thank you for inviting me to join you and Kitty. Let's just forget the intrusion we had from Jacob," he said smiling.

While Edward drove us back I reflected back on all that happened over the last few days. So much happened. It no longer felt awkward having Edward around me. It was almost like he was expected not just by me but also by others to be around me. He looked fine with that. He actually looked happy when I asked him to join Kitty and me to the grave, to the house, and to Sue's. He seemed to enjoy being around us as much as I did. I felt like he meant more than a friend to me now. I felt some anxiety thinking what if it's just me feeling that way and he was just being kind and nothing more than that?

***************

A/N

Next chapter Edward is going to be in New York for conference with Eleazar. Alice finds out about it and decides it's a great opportunity to get Edward and Bella together on a date so she finds a way to get Jasper, Bella, Kitty, and herself to join Edward in New York. By chance Edward gets a table for 2 for dinner from Eleazar as he and his wife can't go and doesn't want to waste the reservation so Edward asks Bella to accompany him for dinner. Do you want them to have their first romantic kiss? Please review and let me know.


	11. Chapter 11 Ace of Wands

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I just own the plot.

The links to the locations and restaurants mentioned in this chapter are on my profile. I hope they'll help you get a feel of the environment the characters are in.

Thank you for all the reviews. It really helps me keep going knowing there are many of you enjoying my work. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope to hear from more of you so that I can view your profile and see who's reading my story. Here's Chapter 11. Enjoy!

**Chapter 11 Ace of Wands**

**Characters: Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, and Kitty**

**Alice POV**

"Hurry up Alice we're going to miss our flight. We need extra time since we have Kitty with us," Jasper yelled at me. "Why did I agree to do a photo shoot in New York when we took plenty of pictures in Forks over Thanksgiving anyway," Jasper muttered.

"Oh shush Jasper. It's not the same. We needed a reason to convince Bella to go to New York while Edward was there. People feel more relaxed and tend to be less shy when they are on vacation so this was the perfect time for Edward and Bella to go on a date. Plus now the streets are decorated with Christmas decorations and lots of lights it's going to be so romantic. I even have the perfect place reserved for dinner for them," I said to Jasper so that he would understand the importance of this trip.

"Well I'm going down to the car so that Kitty and Bella wouldn't have to stand and wait by the car. I've secured all the windows already so just make sure to lock up Alice," he said and left the apartment.

"Are you excited to go and see the big Christmas tree Kitty?" I asked when I got into the passenger seat of Jasper's car.

Kitty raised both of her arms and yelled, "Yes!!!" and immediately I saw Bella cover Kitty's mouth while Kitty struggled and yelled "yes" under Bella's hand.

"Don't get her too excited Alice, she's going to be too hyper and won't sleep at all on the plane. I'm going to make you responsible to take care of her on the plane if you keep it up," Bella said and glared at me.

"Oh don't worry Bella I'm going to be too busy ironing out our plans in New York on the plane so I can stay up and take care of Kitty for you."I assured her. I was so excited I couldn't wait to get to New York. There were so many places to go, so many fabulous restaurants, so many great places Kitty would love, and most of all I had big plans for Edward and Bella that they didn't know yet.

"Where are we staying in New York? You kept it as a surprise. We're going to be there today so tell me already," Bella demanded.

"Oh well since we're arriving there today I'll tell you. You're just no fun. We're staying at The Carlyle," I replied.

"We're not staying at the Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons?" Jasper asked surprised.

"Well it was a tough choice to make. The Carlyle ranked No. 6 in the 2009 Top 50 large city hotel in US/Canada in Travel+Leisure magazine beating Ritz-Carlton, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and Four Seasons in New York so I chose The Carlyle over Four Seasons, but Four Season's ranked highest in the 2009 recipient of _**Condé Nast Traveler's **_Gold List Hotel & Hot List Spa. I wanted to stay in a luxurious boutique hotel. Also there is a surprise for Bella. The Bemelmans bar in The Carlyle has the only remaining artwork on display to public by Bemelmans which is the mural 'Central Park', you know who Ludwig Bemelmans is right Jasper? He's the creator of the Madeline books." I told him.

"I didn't know he was the creator of the Madeline books. I have no complaints anyway. The Carlyle is a gorgeous boutique hotel overlooking Central Park and I love the Bemelmans bar," Jasper said and smiled.

"Well I'm excited. I think we're all going to have a great time there," Bella said and she really looked thrilled.

"Well the hotel is just a start. I have a whole lot of surprises coming your way. You'll never want to leave New York," I said and winked at Bella.

"I hope you have some things planned that Kitty will enjoy. She's going to be bored real quickly if we just do things adults like," Bella said with a concerned look.

"Don't be silly Bella. Of course I have lots planned for Kitty and not just shopping. Although there will be plenty of shopping involved," I said and stuck my tongue out.

We laughed and soon arrived at LAX. We made it to the airport without much traffic so we had plenty of time left to just hang out in the restaurants till we boarded. We let Jasper take off to the Home Turf Sports Bar and Bella, Kitty, and I decided to just relax at Jody Maroni's so that Kitty could satiate her addiction to hotdogs before we boarded the plane.

Time passed quickly and we boarded the plane first with the first class passengers as we had business class seats and we had a child with us. Bella brought some juice boxes and munchies for Kitty. She even thought ahead and brought a sippy cup to avoid Kitty spilling drinks on her clothes on the plane. Kitty was unhappy that Bella made her wear Training pants just in case the toilet line got too long during the flight.

Once the seatbelt sign went off Kitty sat beside Jasper and I chatted with Bella. "Well the first thing we are going to do is go buy a pretty coat for Kitty. She doesn't have a winter coat and I don't design heavy winter coat since we don't need them in LA. I have a couple coats in mind. We'll go to Bergdorf Goodman and look at Phillip Lim's Cocoon coat. The coat is made of heather gray merino wool with a shawl collar. It's really cute. Kitty is going to look so charming in it. There's also Bow Tights from the Little Marc Jacobs collection, and the Party Poof dress, and Bubble dress from Alice + Olivia collection that I have my eyes on," I mentioned to Bella but Bella frowned.

"The coat and tights I understand we need since it is cold in New York, but the dresses? You brought plenty for Kitty to wear. You've designed some awesome dresses," Bella said.

"Bella, thank you for the compliment but these dresses are really gorgeous and would be a great addition to Kitty's wardrobe. The ones I brought are store samples and are not Kitty's to keep," I explained to Bella.

"If you insist on buying them I will pay for them," Bella said and huffed.

"Bella these will go on expense so I won't let you pay for them. Rosalie's Dad is also funding a portion of this trip. He wants me to review the places we eat and the chefs and report back to him. Mr. Hale runs hotels so he always wants to know about great restaurants, menus, and the chefs so it's a win-win situation for both of us," I explained to her.

"All right Alice. I'm too tired to argue with you and I understand the business deal with Rosalie's Dad," Bella said.

The flight was long and we encountered some trouble from Kitty but we managed. Kitty's ears bothered her but as soon as I mentioned Edward's name and that he will make her ears all better once we were in New York she was happy again.

A limo waited for us and it quickly drove us into the city from La Guardia. The limo dropped Jasper off with our luggage and he checked us in. Jasper stayed behind at the hotel while we went shopping to Bergdorf Goodman. I told Jasper that as soon as we were done shopping I'd call him to pick him up. I had reserved a table for 4 at Capsouto Freres. I wanted Kitty to taste their spectacular soufflés. They don't have special children's menu but made special dishes when requested.

**Bella POV**

Shopping at Bergdorf Goodman wasn't as painful as I expected since Alice already knew what she wanted for Kitty. Kitty enjoyed modeling the coat and the dresses and we found all of them in her size. We had extra time so we decided to have some tea at the BG Restaurant on the 7th floor. The view of the Central Park was spectacular from the restaurant. What I enjoyed the most was that the tea they served were Mariage Freres. I had always been a fan of the Marco Polo tea. I was now giddy and Alice curiously stared at me.

After an hour of afternoon tea we picked Jasper up and headed to Capsouto Freres. This french bistro in Tribeca was situated in a beautiful flemish style brick building and the ambience was casually elegant. I was glad I had spent quite a bit of time teaching table manners to Kitty prior to Thanksgiving and she now ate quite elegantly for her age. Kitty actually enjoyed the lessons I gave her as she said she felt like a princess being served on fine china and silverware and having several glasses in front of her.

We sat down and ordered our food and then I received a text from Edward. "Please call me before you leave the restaurant so that I can meet you at the hotel to check on Kitty's ears," it said.

"Did you get a text from Edward?" Alice asked me smirking.

"Yeah he wanted me to call him when we leave the restaurant so that he can come over to our hotel to check Kitty's ears," I replied.

"Great excuse," Jasper chuckled and Alice giggled.

"I'm going to text him that she's fine. He doesn't need to come. I have some children's ear drops that work like a charm anyway," I said and texted Edward.

I got a reply back immediately and sighed when I read it. "I'm a doctor. Kitty doesn't need to suffer from an earache when I am perfectly capable of treating her. See you soon," it said.

"I take that sigh of yours as a sign that he insisted on seeing Kitty," Alice laughed.

After our meal came Jasper took some pictures of Kitty. Then we had our meal and ordered the soufflés. We ordered all three of the sweet soufflés. The Chocolate with Chocolate Sauce, Raspberry with Raspberry Coulis, and Praline with Hazelnut Crème Anglaise. Kitty and I both thought the Chocolate with Chocolate Sauce was the best of the three.

"We have the limo until midnight so after the limo drops us off I'll have the driver pick Edward up from Trump International Hotel and Tower and drop him off at ours. Then if Edward leaves before midnight the limo can take him back to his hotel," Alice said and she texted Edward to let him know her plan.

After I got back into my hotel room I quickly filled the tub, bathed Kitty, and changed her into her pajamas. I heard the knock on our door minutes after I sat Kitty on the bed.

"Hi Bella. So good to see you and Kitty here in New York. I missed you both," Edward said and hugged me and kissed Kitty on her forehead.

"She's really much better now you know. Her ears don't bother her anymore," I explained to Edward.

"Don't kill my excuse for seeing you two," Edward said and grinned.

"Aren't you tired from being in a conference all day? You should be relaxing at your hotel or having drinks with adults than coming over to see a 3 yr old and her mommy," I said and chuckled.

"I'd rather be here and nowhere else. Let's check your ears Kitty," Edward said and leaned over to Kitty and checked her ears, throat, neck and asked her if anywhere he touched hurt or felt uncomfortable. Kitty shook her head. "Well it seems you are all better now," Edward smiled at Kitty and Kitty kissed him on his cheek. "How about I tuck you in bed and read you a story?" Edward asked and Kitty bounced on the bed and clapped her hands.

"Edward you sure you aren't too tired? You still have a day left of the conference," I said to him.

"I'll be fine. Tomorrow's going to be an easy day. We'll be done by noon. There's a reason why I wanted to see you tonight I wanted to run something by you. Eleazar made reservations for two at Philip Marie for himself and his wife for dinner tomorrow night but he's needed back in LA so he gave me the reservation. It's almost impossible to get the wine room and he didn't want it to go to waste after all the strings he pulled to get the reservation so he gave it to me. I wanted to ask you if you would join me for dinner tomorrow night. If you are worried about Kitty I can ask Alice to look after her or if you prefer The Carlyle has babysitting services. Would you please join me for dinner tomorrow night?" Edward asked me and saw his face blush slightly.

"I would love to join you for dinner but I'll need to clear it with Alice first. I would rather she stay with Alice than with a stranger even though I'm sure The Carlyle hotel provides reliable babysitters." I said and smiled at Edward. Edward smiled back at me and I thought I saw relief in his eyes when I answered him that I would join him for dinner.

Edward read Kitty her bedtime story and the whole time Edward wore a ridiculous smile on his face. I chuckled seeing how happy he was that I said yes to him.

Kitty fell asleep so I signaled Edward to come join me on the couch. "I brought some herbal tea from home would you like some?" I asked Edward.

"Thanks Bella, I'd love a cup," he answered.

"How was your day today?" he asked.

"Well we didn't do much. We went to Bergdorf Goodman and Alice bought a winter coat, dresses, and tights for Kitty. Then we went to the BG Restaurant and had afternoon tea. I was thrilled they had my favorite Marco Polo tea. Then we went to Capsouto Freres for dinner and had their legendary soufflé for dessert," I said and smiled at Edward.

"Well your day was a lot more productive and interesting than mine. I was stuck at the hotel all day at the conference and dined with a whole bunch of doctors who were here in New York just so that they could get away from their wives. The only perk was that we ate at Jean-Georges. I had always wanted to eat there since New York Times awarded the restaurant 4 stars and 3 stars from Michelin guide. Jean-Georges Vongerichten is probably one of the most celebrated chefs in the world." Edward said.

"Well the restaurant sounds wonderful. How was it? Did it live up to its reputation?" I asked. I genuinely wanted to know.

"It was impeccable. The service was magnificent. The dishes were timed precisely to arrive, the menu creative and original, and the atmosphere and the décor were lovely. It definitely lived up to the reputation and more." Edward answered looking wholly satisfied with the dining part of his experience at Jean-Georges.

"Aww I'm sorry the company you had at Jean-Georges had put a dent in your fabulous experience at Jean-Georges," I said to Edward.

"I should call Alice about tomorrow night," Edward said and picked up his phone.

"Hey Alice um I was…yeah I'm in her room right now but that's not what I want to talk about, I wanted to ask you if…Yes, Kitty is asleep…Alice stop interrupting me. I wanted to ask if you could watch Kitty tomorrow evening…Alice stop squealing into the phone and let me finish what I'm saying…Yes, I want to take Bella out to dinner…Yes, I have the reservation…No, I didn't make the reservation myself Eleazar did…the reservation is at Philip Marie…stop squealing my eardrums are going to burst…Yes, it's a miracle he got the reservation at the wine room…okay, thanks Alice, I owe you one," he said and put his phone back in his pocket and I laughed. "You probably heard all she said huh?" Edward asked.

"Yeah she was pretty loud. I heard every word she said to you," I laughed harder when I saw Edward rub his ears as it seemed to bother him still.

We joked around a while and I saw Edward yawn. "Are you sleepy baby? You should go while the limo is still available," I said and then realised I called him "baby" out of habit from saying that to Kitty all the time. My hand flew to cover my mouth and I felt my face turn crimson.

Edward chuckled and pulled me closer to him. He winked at me and said "Good night baby," and stood up. He walked towards the door and I followed behind him. He hugged me again at the door and this time the hug lasted much longer and felt much more intimate than all the hugs we ever shared. He held me so close to him that even a thin piece of paper wouldn't have fit between us. I felt my heart beat faster but I also heard his breathing accelerate. He kissed my head and said, "Good night. I can't wait to have you all to myself tomorrow," and let go of me and left my hotel room.

WHOAAA what was that? I asked myself. legs shook so badly I slid down against the wall and sat down holding my knees towards my chest. Had I dreamt what just happened? Had Edward really say to me that he couldn't wait to have me all to himself tomorrow?

**Edward POV**

As I walked away from Bella's room suddenly a door opened and 2 pairs of arms pulled me inside. Before I could fight the arms off I heard a familiar squeal. It was the pip squeak again. She dragged me to the couch and sat herself down and Jasper quickly followed suit.

I sighed really loud in hopes that she would sense that I didn't want to be here. "Edward, stop staring at me like I busted your bubble. I know you are excited and I want to feel the excitement too, so spill! It's not fair to be the only one excited," she said bouncing up and down.

"Let's make this quick. What do you want to know?" I asked Alice without beating around the bush so that I could just get it over with and head back to the hotel so that I could reminisce over what just happened with Bella and me.

"Oh come on Edward, stop being so selfish. Bella wouldn't be here in New York if it weren't for Jazzy and I," Alice said and both Alice and Jasper grinned at me. "So how did she react when you asked her out on a date? Alice asked eagerly.

"Well I was nervous to hear how she would respond but she just simply said she'd love to join me for dinner. I don't know maybe she thinks it's just dinner and nothing more," I replied.

"Hmmm but you're taking her to Philip Marie for dinner for 2 at the wine room right? As soon as she sees that it's the wine cellar and how intimate the dining is with no one else around but you two I'm sure she'll feel that it's a date. Come on it was voted New York's most romantic restaurant in the New York Times. Anyone would kill to be in the place of you two. I'm green with envy of you two," Alice said and she looked serious and it scared me.

"Well I'm going to give you some tips so that you won't mess up. I'll tell you the Do's and Don'ts. After dinner say you wanted to go see the view do not go to the Empire State building. Instead take her to The View Lounge at Marriott Marquis on the 48th floor. It's the only 360 degree rotating restaurant in New York. They have a cheese and dessert buffet, and a chocolate fountain. Or you could take her to the Top of the rock observation deck on the 70th floor of the Rockefeller Plaza. I'd choose The View Lounge so that you two can sit comfortably. Oh don't forget that the Rainbow room is closed just in case you ignore my suggestions. They're looking for someone to run that place so it probably won't be a while till it reopens. Keep in mind she's pregnant. You don't want her on her feet too long. Let's see another Don't is, don't take her on the horse-drawn carriage through Central Park. It's neither romantic nor private because you end up trailing behind some other carriage and in the evening it smells like horse poop and the locals will glare at you like you're an idiot. Instead take her for a walk in the early morning through Central Park with Kitty. There will be less people there and the air won't smell like poop. Take a little gift with you to the dinner. Something small but something she would have to remember the first date." Alice said with a huge smile on her face. She really looked happy for me.

"What should I get her? What's a small gift that won't overwhelm her?" I asked Alice honestly.

Alice sighed. "All right. How about going to Tiffany's and buy her the blue box enamel charm. They're really cute and who doesn't remember the scene in front of Tiffany's in the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. It's very New York."

"It sounds a little cliché if you ask me but a little blue box charm sounds kinda cute so I guess it'll work," I said and agreed with Alice's idea otherwise I would be running around town not finding anything and end up buying what Alice suggested anyway.

"Oh before I forget to tell you Saturday is the last full day in New York for all of us so on Saturday I want some alone time with Jasper. During the day you, Bella, and Kitty go do something together until the evening. Then in the evening go take Bella out to dinner. I've reserved a table for 2 at One if by Land Two if by Sea. Bella is going to love this place. It's located in Aaron Burr's landmark carriage house. It is a two story restaurant, with baby grand and a fireplace. Candle lit and flowers on the table. It's the epitome of romance. Bella is a sucker for the classics. You're not gonna go wrong there. It's you guys' last night together in New York. Make it memorable. We'll take care of Kitty and return her in the morning. Tell Bella about this at the end of the date so that she'll feel secure that you're asking her out again," Alice said and winked at me.

"Thank you so much Alice. I don't deserve such a great sister. I don't know how to thank you. Think about what I can do in return." I said thankful I had such great family who cared about me so much when I had neglected them for so long.

"It's all right Edward. I owe it to Bella and Kitty for bringing you back into our lives again. Mom and Dad have never been this happy for years. I never got to spend so much time with you until now either. I'm sure Emmett is thrilled too, but I could do with a new pair of boots so I'll give you the receipt after I buy them," Alice said and hugged me.

"All right I'm gonna go now. Once I'm done with the conference around noon I'll check-in to this hotel. I'll give you guys a ring after I purchase Bella's gift at Tiffany's and return to the hotel," I said and left their hotel room.

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A/N

Sorry I didn't work the kiss in this chapter. I wanted to build up to it. Please leave me a comment and let me know if you enjoyed this chapter.


	12. Chapter 12 Ace of Wands Part 2

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot.

The links to the location and restaurants mentioned in this chapter are on my profile so that it might help you visualize the environment the characters are in. All the locations listed actually exist in New York. I got a little carried away in this chapter and even put links of some of the cute items Bella purchased in the story!

**Chapter 12 Ace of Wands part 2**

**Characters: Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, and Kitty**

**Alice POV**

I woke up feeling refreshed and excited about today. I had a lot in store for Bella and Kitty and couldn't wait to dress Bella up for her dinner date with Edward. I picked up the phone and called Bella. "Hi Bella, are you guys almost ready? We'll meet you at the lobby all right? Oh I'm so excited we're gonna get so many cute pictures at Alice's Tea Cup this morning. Kitty's going to love the restaurant,"

"We're ready. See you down at the lobby. I haven't told Kitty about the place yet so that she can be surprised. I know she'll love it. She loves Alice in Wonderland. She's a bit grumpy because she's hungry but I'm sure she'll be fine as soon as she sees the place," Bella said in an excited voice.

We met Bella and Kitty at the lobby and took a cab to Alice's Tea Cup Chapter III to have breakfast and have pictures of Kitty taken in the clothes I designed. We arrived quickly and were escorted to the table we reserved. Bella had to pick Kitty up and take her to the table as Kitty wouldn't move from the gift shop.

"Kitty, we'll have plenty of time to look at the gift shop later okay. We need to order our food and Jasper needs to take some pictures. Mommy and I can go with you to the gift shop as soon as we all finish eating all right?" I said to Kitty as I was famished and I was sure Jasper wanted to get the pictures taken as quickly as possible so that he could eat too.

We ordered several different dishes for the pictures. We ordered mixed fruit crepes with Alice's vanilla crème anglaise, ham and gruyere crepe, scones benedict, Alice's Florentine, and Alice's bigger breakfast which was the 3 tiered stand with scones, eggs, vegetables, cheese or bacon, and yogurt. We also ordered fresh juice, a pot of tea, and hot chocolate for Kitty.

"I'm excited. I hope the food is great. If we all love it let's go to Chapter I on another day," I said and Kitty nodded her head repeatedly.

The food came and Jasper quickly took pictures and as soon as he was done we got to eat. Kitty rushed through her food so quickly it surprised both Bella and I. I think she really wanted to go to the gift shop.

Before our little shopping at Alice's Tea Cup's gift shop I redressed Kitty into another outfit for the shoot at Thérapie New York. We headed towards upper west side. I needed some serious shopping therapy.

"Alice, where are we going now? Um I need you to take me dress shopping for tonight. The place Edward is taking me seems very upscale and I didn't bring a dress to meet such occasion," Bella said to me in a very worried voice.

"Silly Bella, of course I thought ahead. I already have the perfect dress for you hanging in the closet in my hotel room ready to be worn by you. I've borrowed it from my friend at the magazines so it didn't cost me a dime either. After we finish shopping at Thérapie we'll head back to the hotel so that I can help you get ready for the evening," I explained to her so that she won't huff and puff about spending money on her.

"I didn't anticipate on going on a date especially to such a highly sought out upscale restaurant. Thank you so much. You're a lifesaver," Bella said.

"Sooooo it's a date huh?" I asked as I wanted to get the feel of how she felt about the whole thing.

"You know what I mean…I mean I don't even know if it's a date or not. Maybe he just invited me because he just didn't want to waste the reservation and he probably couldn't just give the reservation to you two because he probably needed to tell Eleazar how the restaurant was," Bella answered in an unsure tone.

"Bella, I'm sure Edward wanted to ask you and only you. He would have given the reservation to Jasper and I if he didn't want to go. Eleazar wouldn't have minded if Jasper and I went instead. Stop worrying. I think Edward used this as an excuse to take you out on a date," I said and winked at Bella.

I watched Bella blush. I felt a little frustrated that I had to sit back and just watch them when I knew how Bella felt about Edward and how Edward felt about Bella.

Kitty's face lit up when we entered Thérapie. We already had approval to take pictures ahead of time so Jasper took Kitty's hands and went to get some pictures taken.

I took Bella to the children's section. We saw a blankie that came with different kinds of stuffed animal on it. They were all so cute. They had ones with elephant, giraffe, teddy bear, piggy, hippo, puppy, tiger, lion, and lamb. Bella decided to get the lamb since it was white and she didn't know the sex of her baby yet. This was the first item she bought for her new baby. After Bella purchased the blankie we went to the diaper bag section.

"Alice, look at this. It's a diaper holder shaped like a toolbox. It has 2 side pockets and bottom drawers. It probably holds about a dozen diapers. Do you think I should get this Toolbox Diaper Caddy? Maybe I should wait. I don't know the sex of the baby so I can't choose pink or blue. Should I just get the white one? What do you think? Do you like it?" Bella asked me eagerly.

I was excited that Bella was in shopping mode. I'm not sure what's got into Bella because she already bought some things at Alice's Tea Cup and she's still in buying mode. I love this new Shopperbella. "I think it's adorable. You must buy it. Get the white one. You'll regret it later when we are back in LA if you don't buy it." I said to Bella as it really was cute. I would have bought it for her if she didn't.

We walked around a little more in the children's section and came across some baby onesies. They all had humorous things written on them but one of them really caught Bella's and my attention. We literally felt like rolling on the floor laughing. On the chest of this particular onesie it said, "Nobody puts baby in the corner." Bless his heart Patrick Swayze had to be laughing up in heaven as well.

Jasper and Kitty returned while Bella and I still had tears rolling down our cheeks from laughing so hard. Jasper looked embarrassed and said he didn't want people to think he had any association to us. Jasper was uptight like that sometimes.

After Bella and I calmed down we went to the section that had the rain gear as Bella wanted to purchase some rain gear for Kitty as the weather forecast mentioned we might expect some rain tomorrow. "Mommy I want this," Kitty said as she pointed to an umbrella that resembled a ladybug.

"Sure Kitty. I would've chosen this one too. I'll get you the umbrella and the matching rain coat, rain boots, and backpack." "Could you watch Kitty while I go and pay?" Bella asked me.

"Bella I'll just meet you at Pinkberry's. I saw it on the way here. It's only a couple doors down. I'm in the mood for frozen yogurt," I said.

"Oh they have Pinkberry's here too? I thought it was a Cali thing. Sure I'll meet you guys there." Bella said. Jasper took Kitty's hand and we headed towards Pinkberry's.

"I need to get Bella ready for dinner with Edward. We're gonna take off from here. I'm sure you need more pictures so why don't you and Kitty go to Rockefeller center and take some pictures at the Christmas tree? You probably want a day shot and a night shot so today's probably perfect since it's sunny. I'll give you a call when I'm done getting Bella ready so that I can meet up with you guys for dinner," I suggested to Jasper.

"Sounds good darling but you need to change Kitty's outfit first," he said and after I finished changing Kitty's outfit I got a call from Edward that he was back at the hotel. I told him to head to Rockefeller center and call Jazzy once he's there to hang out with Kitty and Jasper.

Right after the call from Edward Bella arrived at Pinkberry's. We left for the hotel as soon as Bella got a cup of frozen yogurt. She chose the pomegranate frozen yogurt topped with strawberry, pineapple, and blueberry.

I protested but Bella made me get on the subway. She said it would be ridiculous to get stuck in traffic in a cab when it was just a short ride on the subway back to the hotel. I told her I didn't want to get mugged or killed. She said this time of the day would be safe and that she had pepper spray on her so she would keep me safe. I reluctantly agreed so we used the subway. I wasn't familiar with the subway system but Bella lived in Chicago a couple of years so she figured out which line was the best one to take back to the hotel.

I was glad I borrowed Nicol Caramel's tulle and mélange jersey viscose double knitwear and mélange jersey viscose skirt from my friend at the magazines in Milan for Bella. The dress was a perfect fit and Bella looked fabulous. I had also borrowed Miu Miu's bow and crystal ballet flats so that she would feel sexy and comfortable. The suede ribbon and the crystals at the toes made the flats breathtaking gorgeous. I had paired the Coco tights from Orabella Scarano with the shoes and they were made of merino wool so I was sure her legs would stay warm. Thankfully Bella owned a beautiful baby doll black coat that matched her outfit so I didn't have to worry about a coat.

I curled Bella's hair and put her hair up similar to Adele Silva's updo at the 2007 British TV soap awards. I brushed her lashes with mascara, applied Chanel's quadra eye shadow in the smoky eyes shade for dramatic effect, and topped her lips with Chanel's lipstick in the shade voluptuous. Bella looked absolutely stunning.

After Bella put on the tights and slipped on the flats, I checked her once over and said, "Have a look at yourself."

"Oh my gosh! The person in the mirror definitely doesn't look like me," Bella said shocked at what she saw in the mirror.

"Don't be silly. It's all you. The clothes, hair, and makeup just brought out what you already had," I said and hugged Bella. "Now go knock Edward dead," I said and sent Bella to her room to wait for Edward.

After I sent Bella back to her room I called Jasper to find out where they were. He told me to meet them in Greenwich village. Kitty wanted to eat peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner so Jasper said we were going to Peanut Butter & Co. Sandwich shop. I was sure Bella would be angry when she finds out we fed Kitty peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner but Jasper had already promised Kitty for the PBJ so we couldn't back out. Maybe if I gave Kitty a few bites of regular sandwich they serve there I would be forgiven. Jasper said he was excited that he could eat the Fluffernutter. When I heard that from Jasper I got a sneaking suspicion that maybe it was Jasper's doing that we were eating there and not Kitty's.

**Edward POV**

The conference was finally over. I quickly dropped by the Time Warner Center to grab a sandwich at Bouchon Bakery Café. I went back to the hotel, gathered my things, and took a cab to The Carlyle. I checked in and was impressed that The Carlyle had the Bowers and Wilkins' Zeppelin iPod speaker system. It must've been one of the reasons Alice selected this hotel. I quickly grabbed the hotel key card and went down to shop for Bella's gift. I hailed a cab and went to Henri Bendel.

Instead of taking Alice's advice I decided to get Bella something at Henri Bendel. We had Tiffany's in LA but not Henri Bendel. The closest Henri Bendel in California was in San Diego. I went to the jewelry section and found a Bendel girl charm bracelet. An idea popped in my head. I could start a tradition of buying more charms to add to the bracelet every time we returned to New York together. I felt myself grinning over my ingenious idea and when I looked up the lady at the counter was smiling at me.

"Are you looking at purchasing it for your significant other?" the lady asked me.

Typically I don't like to divulge any private information but today I felt giddy and open. "It's our first date tonight and I was thinking of giving this to her," I answered her sheepishly.

"Oh that is a fabulous idea. You could add more charms for every anniversary," she said and smiled at me.

"Exactly," I smiled and asked her to gift wrap it up for me.

I rushed back to the hotel and called Alice. "Hey Alice where are you guys? I just finished shopping and I'm back at The Carlyle…Oh all right I'll head towards Rockefeller Center. Could you tell Jazz to meet me in front of Dean& Deluca by the 49th street cuz it'll be hard to find him by the tree?" I said to Alice and headed out the door.

I got to Dean& Deluca and looked around for Jasper and Kitty. I spotted Jasper sitting on the steps beside a stroller. I was surprised Kitty was sitting in a stroller.

"Hey you think you could watch Kitty for a few hours? I wanna get a few shots around town," Jasper asked.

"Sure thing. I'd love to. I'll probably just head down towards Greenwich village. I'll call or text you when I get there," I said to Jasper and waved him bye.

The stroller looked quite new. I wondered if Alice or Bella bought it for this trip. Kitty looked adorable in the stroller. The stroller was a Maclaren Baby GAP model. It was brown and pink with polka dots. It definitely screamed Alice but I admit it was very cute.

As I strolled down the street Kitty called out to me. "Edward I'm hungry. I want hotdog," she said. I stopped and went around the stroller and squatted in front of Kitty to talk to her. She shouldn't be hungry. She must've had lunch only an hour or two ago.

"What did you eat for lunch Kitty? You're still hungry?" I asked Kitty as I wondered why she was hungry.

"No lunch. Ice cream," she said to me.

I found that odd so I called Jasper. "Hey Jasper Kitty says she's hungry and that she hasn't had lunch. Is that true?"

"Yeah we just had breakfast and stopped for frozen yogurt. She hadn't eaten lunch yet," he said to me.

"All right I'll make sure she has something to eat then. I'll head towards Greenwich village. See ya later," I said and got off the phone but I was irritated that they all neglected to feed Kitty. Three year olds still need to stick to their schedule. Just because they were occupied with the photo shoot was no excuse to neglect to feed a child properly. Frozen yogurt was not lunch.

I didn't want Kitty to get cold so I took the subway to get to Gray's Papaya. As I got out of the 42nd street metro station Kitty yelled. "Edward I have to pee."

Panic coursed through my body. I needed to find a clean toilet. I quickly scanned my brain and remembered Hilton Times Square was very close. I pushed Kitty's stroller as fast as I could towards 7th street and found the hotel. I rushed into the lobby and looked for the toilets. Then I remembered I didn't know if Kitty could use the toilet by herself.

"Kitty, can you pee by yourself?" I asked Kitty.

Kitty looked confused, shook her head and said, "At home."

I was a pediatrician for crying out loud and I didn't know how to help a little girl pee. I was in full panic mode so I called Jasper. "Jasper, Kitty needs to pee. What am I supposed to do?" I yelled into the phone.

"Stop yelling Edward. Take her to the stall in the men's room. In the diaper bag hanging on the stroller are toilet wipes to disinfect the toilet seat, baby wipes to wipe after Kitty's done, and a white bag that contains a folded cushie padded portable toilet seat. Place that on the toilet seat after you disinfected the toilet seat and put Kitty on the cushie toilet seat. Make sure to hold Kitty while she pees otherwise she'll tumble over. Whatever you do don't hand her off to some strange woman who offers to take her to the toilet for you. Oh and just in case you mess up there's a set of underwear, jeans, and shirt in the diaper bag as well. Good luck," he said chuckling.

I ran all what Jasper just said to me over and over again in my head. I took Kitty's coat off and put it on the stroller. I grabbed the diaper bag and went into the stall with Kitty. The toilet was too small so I left the stroller outside the entrance. Kitty held her crotch and swayed left and right and looked desperate to pee.

I told Kitty that I was going to take her pants and underwear off, and hold her up so she could pee. She nodded to me. I pulled her corduroy pants and underwear off and tucked it in the diaper bag. I wiped the toilet seat and placed the foldable toilet seat on top of the toilet seat. I had no idea something this innovative for little kids to use the adult size toilet seat existed.

I lifted Kitty by her waist, placed her on the toilet seat, and waited for her to finish. She told me she was done so I lifted her off the toilet seat and grabbed the baby wipes from the diaper bag and wiped Kitty. I put her underwear and pants back on. I tucked the foldable toilet seat back in the white bag. I flushed the toilet and took Kitty by her hand and walked out of the stall.

I picked Kitty up so she could wash her hand. After I placed Kitty back on the floor I washed my hands and led Kitty by her hand back to the stroller. Relief rushed through me and I felt proud that I managed without any trouble, although without the phone call to Jasper I definitely would have ended up changing Kitty's clothes. I felt a little like I was her Daddy. I wouldn't dream of telling anyone that but I felt a new sense of confidence.

Now that the potty issue was over I strolled down to Gray's Papaya and got her a hotdog. After Kitty finished her hotdog we took the subway down towards W.4th street station, and strolled towards Washington square park. I texted Jasper to meet us at Washington square park playground when he was done taking pictures.

I strolled around the park with Kitty. My newly found confidence made me want to act like Daddy. I wanted people to think I was her Daddy. I enjoyed smiling back at the mommies and ladies who stopped and smiled and told us how sweet we looked.

In about an hour Jasper arrived. I said goodbye to Kitty and Jasper and left for my hotel to get ready for the much awaited evening with Bella.

**************

**A/N**

I'm sorry the kiss didn't make it into this chapter. I had to cut the chapter into 2 as it became over 20 pages long on MS Word.

I also thought it would be better to have a chapter dedicated to just about Edward and Bella.

I need more time to tweak Edward and Bella's date and the kiss so I'm posting this chapter early so that I could take some time for that.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and let me know! It would be really awesome if those of you who adds my story on alert or put my story in favorites if you could review and let me know what you like about my story. Thank you!

P.S. Next chapter begins with Edward going to Bella's room to pick her up for the evening. So yes the kiss is absolutely in the next chapter.


	13. Chapter 13 Page of Cups

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot.

On my profile are web links to the places mentioned in this chapter. For this chapter I have included Bella's outfit and Edward's outfit as well so that you might be able to visualize where they are and what they look like to enhance your experience reading this story.

Thank you for all of the reviews it really helps me to know there are people enjoying my story. Please drop a comment whether it's good or bad it would help me with my story.

**Chapter 13 Page of Cups**

**Characters: Edward and Bella**

**Edward POV**

I quickly showered and changed into the Etro suit I brought. I quickly put Bella's gift in my coat pocket and left my room to go knock on Bella's door.

"Good evening Edward." Bella said when she opened the door. Her voice sounded so seductive chills ran down my back. Bella looked breathtakingly beautiful. Her sheer tulle border cut top enhanced her décolleté enchantingly and her arms hidden under the sheer material made me want to run my fingers over them. Her hair was styled in an updo and wisps of curls flowed down and framed her face. She reminded me of the erotic and sensually beautiful woman in Gustav Klimt's painting, Danae, mother of Perseus. At this very moment I felt like I was seeing Bella much like the way Zeus saw Danae. The top of her outfit gathered softly under her belly bump and for some reason that seductively suggested eroticism. Bella was always beautiful but tonight she mesmerized me. I was spellbound by her beauty.

"I'm sorry Bella. You took my breath away. You look absolutely stunning," I said to her and kissed her hand. "Shall we?" I asked her and escorted her towards the elevator with my hand gently resting on the small of her back. I just really needed to touch her. I couldn't suppress my desire. The sheer tulle of her top felt so soft and silky to the touch. Whoever designed this outfit must be worshipped. I felt like a hormone-raged teenager.

I had a car waiting for us. I really wanted to make this evening special. I helped Bella into the car and we headed towards West village where Philip Marie was located.

"Thank you for inviting me to dinner tonight. I was so excited I didn't sleep well last night," Bella smiled and said to me.

"The pleasure's all mine. I had hoped to spend some time alone with you and this opportunity just fell into my hands. The wine room we'll be dining was once a speak-easy during the prohibition and now the owners turned it into a 2 person private dining room and wine cellar. The dishes are exquisite I hear. I hope you enjoy the experience," I said to Bella and looked into her eyes. She was just so captivatingly beautiful tonight.

"I'm sure I will love all of it." Bella smiled and blushed slightly. "This is my first time to be chauffeured to dinner and receive so much attention. I feel spoiled."

I helped her out of the car and entered the restaurant. We were greeted and were promptly escorted downstairs. As we sat down and our server brought me a glass of champagne and a glass of virgin bellini I had requested for Bella. Bella looked confused so I explained to her that I had requested a non alcoholic cocktail for her. After we were served with our hors d'oeuvres our server told us the history of the wine room and the tasting room. Bella looked like a little girl while she listened to the story intently.

"So we're in a room that was walled up for 50 years that has a trap door leading to the subterranean tunnels. Amazing. We even have our private violinist playing for us," she said merrily to me with a bright smile on her face. She looked absolutely enthralled. I was happy I had invited her and that I had arranged for the violinist.

I chose the Filet Mignon of Wild Boar wrapped in Pancetta and Bella chose Grilled whole Branzino stuffed with fresh herbs as the main course. Bella animatedly spoke about her father and how much he loved fishing after I asked her what Branzino was. She shared with me some of her childhood stories of going fishing with her Dad. She told me she only eats fish outside her house and never cooks fish at home now because of all the fish she had to cook when she was in Forks with her Dad her junior and senior year in high school.

The meal was fabulous and while we waited for our dessert I pulled out the little gift I had purchased for her at Henri Bendel. "Bella I have a little something for you to remember our evening together. It would really make me happy if you'd accept it." I said to her.

I watched Bella's reaction and her eyes opened wide in surprise at first, then she bit her lower lip and looked like she was thinking, but soon after a smile broke on face and she nodded. "Thank you so much. May I open it here?" she asked.

My heart soared watching Bella smile over my gift. "Please." I said and waited.

Bella undid the ribbon and unwrapped the box. Her eyes twinkled when she saw the bracelet and the charm. "Oh it's so beautiful Edward, I love it thank you so much," she said and took my hand and squeezed it affectionately.

"I bought this so that we could start a tradition. Every time we come to New York together I'd like to add more charms to the bracelet." I said and smiled to her.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get anything for you. It's only fair that I start a tradition for you too," she said. "I'm going to come up with something and give it to you before we leave New York," she said with determination in her eyes.

"You don't have to Bella. We have that bracelet, you'll be wearing it but I'm enjoying it too," I said but Bella shook her head.

"May I?" I asked Bella and helped her put the bracelet on her wrist.

"Finding something for you is going to be quite hard," she said already looking like she was thinking really hard of what to get me.

"Bella, really, you don't have to," I said but she shook her head.

"I will think of the perfect item even if it robs my sleep," she said and pouted.

"Please don't lose sleep over it Bella. The fact that you accepted it from me is a gift by itself. You don't know how happy I am right now," I said and smiled at Bella.

Bella smiled and her eyes twinkled with joy. "I'm having so much fun tonight. Tonight was all about me, I'm going to do something special for you before we all go back to LA and finding the tradition for you is just one of it."

"Bella, I don't want the night to end yet. May I ask you to accompany me to The View lounge? It's the only revolving rooftop lounge in New York. I'd love it if you would come with me and watch the nightlights of Manhattan with me." I asked Bella.

"I don't want our night to end either. I'd love to join you," she said looking into my eyes. Her eyes were almost dreamy and I wondered what she was thinking at the time.

We finished our dessert and we were escorted back upstairs and out of the restaurant. We got back into our car and I directed our driver to take us to Marriot Marquis. It didn't take us long to get to the lounge. It must have been our lucky night as we got seated by the window.

"Wow the view is amazing. So different to what we would see in LA," she said her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

We ordered 2 of their signature drink, "The View Fizz," which came with The View Lounge souvenir glass except we had Bella's made alcohol free.

I never dreamed I'd have this chance to spend such splendid evening with Bella. Bella was watching the view and she looked so enchanting. The nightlights were reflecting on her eyes and made her eyes twinkle.

We sat side by side so I leaned in closer and looked into her eyes. Bella looked up into my eyes through her eyelashes and licked her lips. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to me. Bella faced me and I was succumbed to temptation to kiss her.

I searched her eyes to see if she wanted the same and I was sure I saw desire in her eyes. I lifted her chin with my left hand and looked into her eyes for approval and she nodded.

We both moved in closer and now her arms were wrapped around my waist as we both twisted our bodies to face each other. I wrapped my left arm around her waist and my right arm around her shoulder and brought my lips onto hers.

Bella hugged me tighter and I took my right arm off her shoulder and ran my hand down softly caressing her back as I deepened our kiss. I ran my tongue on her lower lip and asked for entrance into her mouth. Her lips slowly opened to let me in and our tongues delicately intertwined longing and needing in unison. We were lost in our kiss till we were rudely interrupted by our server who brought us the new boxed souvenir glass and left the table.

Bella let go of me, blushed, and looked down. I chuckled and brushed my thumb against her cheek. "Bella, I don't want to rush anything or make you feel uncomfortable. If I'm moving too fast or doing anything you are hesitant of doing, please tell me," I said to her honestly. I probably sounded like a doofus but I would rather be a doofus than did something that would jeopardize whatever you call what Bella and I had.

"You haven't done anything I didn't want to do. In fact everything about you, everything you have done was what I wanted," she said and leaned in closer to me and touched my cheek with her hand and brought her lips to mine.

Our lips met in frenzy of desire. I kissed her back with fervor this time now that I knew she wanted this as much as I did. I wrapped my arms around her and rid the space between us. Our tongues touched and danced passionately. Her tongue tasted divinely sweet. I wanted more and greedily sought out to take in more of her. My tongue protested but I pulled myself off of her to give ourselves some air. Our chests heaved like we had run a full marathon.

Vrrrr Vrrrr my cell phone vibrated. When I checked my phone it was a text from the driver to remind me I had an hour left for the use of the car. It was getting late and Bella needed to rest for herself and for the baby. "I'm sorry to interrupt our lovely evening but that was a reminder from our driver that it's almost time. "Shall we head back to the hotel?" I asked as I played with a lock of her hair.

"Oh I had lost track of time. I didn't realize it was so late," Bella answered but her chest still heaved and she breathed irregularly.

I escorted her out of the hotel and into the car. The drive took longer than I expected but it was a pleasant drive. Neither Bella nor I spoke in the car but it was a comfortable silence. We no longer need words to express our thoughts to each other. Once we arrived at our hotel I escorted Bella to her room hand in hand. I pulled her close to me and hugged her. She handed me her card key and I opened the door for her.

Bella and I stepped inside her room. "I had an amazing night. Sweet dreams Bella," I said and was trying to let go of her but she strengthened her grip on me tighter. I didn't understand so I looked into her eyes and saw longing in them.

"Come cuddle with me on the couch," Bella said and pulled me further into her room.

***************

**A/N**

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I just wanted to get the kiss part published so that you all didn't have to wait any longer. In order to accomplish doing that this chapter ended up much shorter than the usual ones. I'm sorry the ending is a bit of a cliffy. This gives me more options to get creative.

It would mean a lot to me if you could leave me a review. Thank you!


	14. Chapter 14 Page of Cups Part 2

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot.

Like the previous chapters the locations mentioned in this chapter are real. The websites to some of the places mentioned are in my profile. Hopefully they'll help to enhance your reading experience to see the environment the characters are in.

**Chapter 14 Page of Cups Part 2**

**Characters: Bella, Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Kitty**

**Bella POV**

I'm not sure what got into me. I just asked Edward to come in and cuddle on the couch. I can't back out now. Edward looked so surprised. Was I too forward? He hadn't said a word since. Since there was no reply from him I just pulled him further into the room towards the couch. I took it as a sign that it was okay since his posture was relaxed.

He sat down before I did and pulled me down onto the couch. He took his coat and jacket off and draped it over the couch. I followed suit and took my coat off. I hated the silence. Silence was comfortable on the ride back but now silence made me nervous. Edward took his tie off and unbuttoned several buttons on his shirt. He sat further into the couch and smiled at me. He opened his arms and pulled me to lean onto him. Thank heavens and the stars I hadn't been rejected.

After I snuggled into him he said to me, "Bella maybe you should go change into something more comfortable. I'm not going anywhere," he said and kissed my head.

"It's okay Edward. I'm fine plus I don't want to be the only one in pajamas when you're still in your suit."

"Bella, you're pregnant. You need to be comfortable. Please," he begged.

"Nope. Not when you can't get relaxed." I insisted.

Edward sighed. "Okay here's my suggestion. It's probably going to sound like I'm seducing you which I'm not unless you want me to. How about I take my pants and shirt off and you go change into your pajamas? Then we both crawl in bed and watch TV? Don't worry I promise to be a gentleman," he said and wiggled his eyebrows and made me laugh.

He always knew the perfect things to say. "Okay, I'm just gonna go get changed then," I said and went to the bathroom.

I took several long breaths to calm myself down. I changed into my pajamas. I felt a little self conscious as the pajamas really showed off my belly bump. I was far from sexy. Not that I expected anything to happen.

When I returned Edward was in bed leaning on the headboard watching "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." He lifted the covers on my side when I walked up to the bed. I was glad he didn't take the side I liked to sleep in. He probably remembered from the time he slept in my bed with Kitty and I during Thanksgiving.

I slid into the bed. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. He rested his chin on my shoulder and lowered his hands onto my belly bump. "May I?" he asked so I nodded.

His hands were warm and it felt good when he rubbed my belly bump. "That feels good," I said to Edward.

"It feels good touching you too," he said.

"This baby is really lucky. Kitty wasn't so much." I said and sighed.

"What do you mean Bella?" he asked with a confused look.

"I was young and naïve when I met Stephen. I was 22. It was exciting to be dating a vocalist in a successful rock band. With that came insecurities. Stephen had his groupies who followed him everywhere. I constantly felt like if I let my guard done someone else would take Stephen away from me. It didn't help that he was constantly on tour either. Alice and I went on tour with them as much as we could but it always left me wondering if he was unfaithful to me. Then soon after I got pregnant and in my third trimester I had preeclampsia so that made it impossible for me to travel. I felt alone in my pregnancy. I mean of course I had Alice and Stephen tried his hardest to be around me when he could. If it weren't for my Dad's funeral Stephen would have been on tour. Don't get me wrong Stephen was a good guy, great father, but he was success driven and too busy. "

"I'm sorry to hear that Bella. I can't change what happened in the past but I can make sure your present and the future will be a lot different if you'll give me the chance. This baby will have all the attention he or she needs from me and my family. I'm just a pediatrician. My office is near your place. I occasionally have conferences like these to attend but that's about the extent of it. You won't be lonely." Edward's words sounded so sincere and I had no reason to doubt that.

"Thanks. You and your family have taken such good care of us. Without you all I'm not sure what would have happened to us."

"We all love you and Kitty. Oh I forgot to tell you. Dad and Mom are coming to LA for Christmas. They thought it would be a nice change and also thought you'd be more comfortable in LA than in Forks. It'll be really cold there so the weather in LA would be much better for your condition."

"I hope I didn't inconvenience them. I would have gone to Forks." I told him.

"Well I think it's a great idea they are coming to LA. I feel like I already had Christmas in Forks because of that photo shoot anyway," Edward said chuckling.

I felt a little pressure down my lower back from leaning on Edward. When Edward saw me rub my lower back he lifted the covers and told me to lie down. As I lay down on the bed Edward also slid down and was now on his back as well.

"I'm really comfortable. Would you be against me spending the night here?" he asked me and looked a little insecure.

"I would love it if you stayed. I have never slept alone after I had Kitty. You would be doing me a favor." I said and smiled at Edward.

"Thanks. Well let's get some shut-eye before the evil pixie comes knocking down our door." He turned the lights off, draped his arm over me, and pulled me closer to him. His warmth felt comfortable and soon I felt sleep catching up to me.

I woke up to the sound of Edward's phone ringing. I tapped Edward on his shoulder but he wouldn't even budge. I leaned over to him and called him close to his ears. His eyes slowly opened and once he recognized who I was he smiled. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me onto his chest.

"Your phone is ringing," I said to Edward.

"Mmmm I've got more important task right now," he said in a sexy sleepy voice.

"And what could that be?"

"I have the most amazing woman in bed with me. What could be more important than to kiss this beautiful woman?" He reached out, placed his right hand behind my head, and planted a soft kiss on my lips.

When our lips parted I noticed that the phone was still ringing. "Edward the phone is still ringing."

"Arrrgh," he said and checked his phone. "It's Mini-Me. Tell her to go away," Edward said and hid under the covers.

I sighed and answered the phone. "Hi Alice, what can I do for you?"

"JAAAAAAAAAZZZZZZZZZZZYYYYYYYYYYY! Bella answered the phone!!!!!" Alice shouted into my ear.

"Edward, Alice busted my eardrum. You deal with her," I said as I pulled the covers off Edward and shoved the phone to him.

"Alice, leave me alone." Edward growled into the phone and handed the phone back to me.

"Hi Alice. Edward wants you to leave him alone," I told her.

"Oh my my my. Isn't he so cheery this morning. I take that he didn't get laid so he's grumpy. Tell him not to expect me to leave you two alone when I now know that he is in bed with you right this minute. Anyway I will get it out of you two today. Well it's almost 6a.m. now and Kitty has been up and about since an hour ago. We all need to go to our photo shoot appointment at 7:30. Get ready quickly. We can't be late. We'll meet you two in the lobby at 6:45 a.m." she said.

""Okay we'll be there. Thanks for taking care of Kitty last night."

"You can thank me by filling me on the details of what happened last night starting from Edward picking you up to this minute. Anyway see-ya soon. Bye," she said and hung up the phone.

"I'm gonna go shower okay? You need to go get cleaned up as well so I'll see you in the lobby later?"

Edward pulled the covers off his face. His hair was disheveled but it made him look even sexier. "How can you look so sexy when you just woke up? I look like I just walked out of a level 3 hurricane," I mumbled. .

Edward chuckled. "I know I'm supposed to say that's not true and you look beautiful just the way you are but…"

"Oh shuddup I know what I look like." I hit him jokingly with a pillow.

"Oh don't think you can get away with that lil one," he rawred and tickled me.

"Stop, stop it, come on we have to get ready for breakfast," I said and tears rolled down my cheeks from laughing too hard.

"All right. You go and shower. I'm gonna go back to my room. I'll see you in the lobby," he said and let go of me.

**Jasper POV**

I was a bit surprised when Alice told me that Edward was still with Bella this morning. I didn't think he had it in him to be so smooth. I think I turned into Alice. I wanted to know what happened to them yesterday and what led to Edward staying over last night. According to Alice she thinks Edward didn't get any cuz he sounded grumpy but we'll soon find out.

"So how are we gonna do this? Are we splitting into two to make them dish?" I asked Alice and chuckled.

"Oh you are one after my own heart Jasper Whitlock. I'm thinking we'll act cool over breakfast and let them put their guard down. You go somewhere with Edward and I'll go with Bella and Kitty after breakfast. Then we'll pounce separately. We can compare notes later," she said excitedly.

"Well I really want to go to the Guggenheim Museum. It's the 50th anniversary of the museum this year and they have the Kandinsky exhibit going on. It's last of the tour. You think Edward would be interested?" I asked Alice.

"Well Edward's a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright so I'm sure he'd love to join you."

"Oh that's too bad. He missed the special Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition that went on till August to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Frank Lloyd Wright building. But I think he liked paintings from World War I period. They have the expressionist paintings from that period by painters such as Gauguin, Matisse, Gogh, and Chagall right now," I told her.

"Oh that's perfect. He'll love it."

"We're going to Kitchenette for breakfast this morning right darling?"

"Yup. It's really cute and pink. All arrangements are made. We just have to show up at 7:30 and order the food."

"Well I'll take your word for it. Let's head down. It's almost 6:40 a.m."

Edward was already at the lobby. I went to him and discussed with him my plan of going to Guggenheim after breakfast.

"Thanks Jazz. I never thought I'd get the chance to go to Guggenheim during this trip. I had wanted to but I wasn't sure if I'd get any free time." He said and looked excited.

"Well the girls want to have some girls' time so it's perfect. After the museum we're meeting up with them at the Russian Tea Room for another photo shoot at 3p.m. so we have plenty of time."

Kitchenette opened at 8 a.m. but somehow Alice talked the owners in to letting us do the shoot half an hour before they opened. It was a good idea as they told us the place filled up quick and it would've been hard for us to take the pictures.

We ordered the Kitchenette Special, bacon and cheddar omelet, Hole in the bread, Lumberjack, Homemade Brioche French Toast, 4 cupcakes, cream cheese brownie, lemon bar, and some cookies. We asked them to box the cookies, bars, and cupcakes for us to take back with us after the photo shoot.

I took pictures of the restaurant from outside and inside while they prepared our food. Once the food came I took pictures of the food with Kitty and once I was done taking the pictures we all dug into our food. The food was great and soon just like we were told the place filled up.

We finished eating around 8:30 a.m. The Guggenheim opened at 10 a.m. so we decided to go ride the Staten Island Ferry to kill some time.

We took the subway down to South Ferry station to get to Whitehall Ferry Terminal to board the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry departed every 15 minutes from the terminal so we didn't wait long to board the next ferry.

"Are we riding that big boat?" Kitty asked me her eyes filled with excitement.

"Yup we're taking the ferry to Staten Island. You'll get to see the Statue of Liberty from the ferry. Are you excited?"

"Yippee!" Kitty squealed and jumped up and down. Unfortunately it rained while we ate breakfast so the pavement was wet. Kitty slipped and fell. She screamed and cried like she was lit on fire. Instantly Edward picked Kitty up and at the same time I saw Bella grab a first aid kit out of the stroller. They both looked calm while Alice and I panicked. Edward checked Kitty for any injuries and Kitty had only scraped her palm so Edward just cleaned it up. He kissed her palm and that seemed to do the trick. Kitty stopped crying and looked happy again. Bella and Edward weren't even a couple yet but seeing what just happened made me feel envious of them.

We boarded the ferry and the wind was cold but it was fun. I held Alice close to me and watched the view from the ferry. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward holding Kitty and one of his arms wrapped around Bella. They really looked like a family now. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face even if I tried. When I glanced at Alice she was watching them too and she looked exactly like the way Esme watched her children.

We saw the skyscrapers, the bridges, Lower Manhattan, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from the ferry. When we got to the island the girls said they were staying. They said they'll take Kitty to the Staten Island Zoo so Edward and I went back to Manhattan without the girls.

We got to Guggenheim about half an hour after it opened. "Hey Jazz I know we just got here but could we stop at the café a bit for some coffee?"

"Yeah sure. Rough night?" I asked him and wiggled my brows.

"Somethin' like that," he said and grinned.

We got some coffee and sat at the table. I didn't even have to throw questions at Edward since he started talking on his own.

"I didn't sleep with her last night if that's what you and Alice wanted to know. Jazz I actually wanted to ask you some questions about Stephen. Last night Bella mentioned to me some things about the relationship with Stephen but I got this underlying feeling that their marriage weren't that great," he said with a concerned look.

"Stephen was a great guy but I think Bella and Stephen had awful timing. Alice and I met before the band got signed so our relationship was strong before the success came. Stephen loved Bella. I had no doubt about that but everything just happened too fast for them. Success just happened overnight. One minute we were playing live at clubs and next minute we were so popular we had groupies. Soon afterwards our first album got released and things went crazy. Our manager wanted to give off this image of Stephen being the sexy bad boy so he constantly made Stephen have women clinging on his arms and out to clubs at night. It was for show but it was rough on Bella. She constantly felt like she had competition and if she relaxed someone would take her spot."

"Wow I had no idea it was that bad. She was only 22 when she met him right? Life with a successful womanizing rocker boyfriend couldn't have been easy on her. How did they handle the pregnancy?"

"When Stephen found out Bella was pregnant he asked her to marry him but she turned his proposal down the first time. She flat out told him she would rather be a single mom than to be a wife to a man with groupies clinging onto his arms. That's when Stephen stopped his womanizing."

"Was he really faithful to her? Did Bella believe him?"

"My guess is he still slept around but he denied it. Bella never said anything but Alice said a woman always knows."

"Was she happy with him? Did she ever want to leave him?"

"I think she was happy in the beginning then the tabloids splashed Stephen with the bimbos on the cover. Stephen really got the better end of the stick. Out of the marriage he got a loving wife, a darling daughter, and they took care of him till the very end. The bimbos quickly left after he got sick. If he didn't have Bella he would've died a lonely man. Only consolation to Bella was that Stephen had a hefty life insurance and he made wise investments. He wasn't stupid so he didn't count on the success to last forever. Bella and Kitty will never starve he made sure of that." The whole time I talked about Stephen Edward looked shocked.

"She deserves so much after all that. I would do everything I can for her but would I be enough for her?"

"If we didn't think you were good enough we wouldn't have let you near Bella. Not after all that happened to her. Alice and I didn't even dream of you two crossing path in O'Hare. Alice and I both think you guys were meant to be together. You're the best that's happened to her. I know it. I've known Bella since she was a senior in high school." I said to Edward honestly. "Don't rush anything though. Like I said she's the type to stay as a single mom than marry for convenience. Let the relationship grow. She already opened up to you. The Bella I know wouldn't have asked you in last night." I reminded him to go slow so that he won't go the knight in shining armor routine or drop down on his knee the minute he found the chance.

"Thanks Jazz. That's a lot to think about. Shall we go and look around? Oh and remind me to get something for Kitty before we leave," he said and smiled.

**Alice POV**

While Kitty watched the fish tank I decided to ask Bella about last night. "So Bella hurry up and spill about last night. How was it?"

"The whole evening with Edward was magical. I don't think I've ever had such a romantic evening in my whole life. Everything about it was so amazing. I can breathe around him. I'm not constantly on the edge like I was with Stephen. He makes me feel good about myself."

"Aww that's wonderful. I'm so happy you had such a great night last night but come on how about the juicy stuff?"

"Edward gave me this, he told me every time we come to New York together he would add another charm. It's going to be our tradition," she said and showed me the bracelet.

"Wow he's really outdone himself," I said to her as I was surprised.

"What do you mean?" she asked not understanding what I meant.

"Well the bracelet tradition he started is so creative. I didn't think he had it in him to come up with such a romantic idea," I said and smiled.

"I told him I would start a tradition for him too so I decided on giving him cufflinks unique to New York. I searched on the internet this morning and found cufflinks using the 15 cent subway token at the MOMA shop. Can we go to the MOMA shop after this before going to the Russian Tea Room?" she asked.

"Oh Edward would love the cufflinks and of course we can go to the MOMA shop after this but you still haven't told me why Edward was still at your place this morning," I reminded Bella as she seemed to conveniently forget that she hasn't told me what led to Edward staying overnight.

"We kissed," Bella said and blushed.

"WHAT??? Oh for crying out loud, you should've mentioned that first." I squealed and realized we weren't alone. "Oops."

"Everything was so perfect Alice, the restaurant, the food, the bracelet, and him. We both didn't want the night to end so he took me to go see the view from the lounge in Marriott Marquis. It was beautiful and the kisses just sort of happened. Then the driver buzzed him that it was time to go back to the hotel and I didn't want to let him go so I asked him to come in. Edward got worried that I wasn't comfortable in my dress so he suggested I change into my pajamas and relax in the bed. We both got comfy and he asked if he could stay. I wanted him to. That was all though. I didn't have sex with him if that's what you wanted to know."

"I'm so happy you had such a great evening. Was it awkward in the morning?"

"Not at all. No awkwardness. Maybe the awkwardness didn't happen because of your call. Your call woke us up and you didn't give us much time to get ready so we had to rush," she said and I was happy I possibly helped them out. Before I could comment Kitty shook Bella's arm.

"Mommy I'm hungry. I want hamburger." Kitty said to Bella.

"Any suggestion?" Bella asked.

"There's a place called Barking Dog near our hotel. It looked cute. It's almost lunch time anyway. We should head there now and shop at MOMA afterwards," I suggested.

"Is the place like a diner? I really want to eat something simple. Something I'd make at home,"

"Well this is the place for you then. They have grilled chicken, burgers, ravioli, sandwiches, mashed potatoes, onion rings, fries, soup, salad, and etc. You'll love it," I said to her.

"Perfect," she said and smiled.

"I was thinking. You think I can have some alone time with Jasper tonight? You and Edward and Kitty go eat something together?"

"Oh, of course. I'm so sorry you haven't had much alone time with Jasper because of us."

***************

**A/N**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to show what was going on in their heads so we're still on day 4 of the New York trip. Two and a half days left. I hope I can throw in some humor next chapter.

Want a little drama? Should I bring Jessica in since she's in New York or should I keep the New York trip just really sweet?

To all my silent readers and my lovely regular reviewers who I adore **please** throw me a bone and **leave a review**! My Chihuahua and I are doing the happy dance when we receive a review. Thank you for reading my story.


	15. Chapter 15 Page of Cups Part 3

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

**Ghost Busters and the references are the property of Columbia pictures and their respective owners.**

As with other chapters the web sites of the locations mentioned in this chapter are on my profile so that you could see and experience the ambience of the place.

I would appreciate it if you would please leave me a review. Good or bad they both help me with my writing.

**Chapter 15 Page of Cups Part 3**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, and Kitty**

**Bella POV**

Alice and Jasper wanted some time alone so it gave me the perfect opportunity to have dinner alone with Edward. After having afternoon tea at the Russian Tea Room we came back to the hotel to relax a little and to search for a place to eat for dinner.

"I'm looking forward to tonight's dinner. I think this is the first time for me to have dinner with just the three of us. What do you feel like eating?" Edward asked me while we relaxed in his room.

"How about some good ol' barbecue? I know Kitty's been craving for hotdogs. I want to go somewhere relaxed where I could just go in jeans. I've been so uncomfortable for the past few days." I said to Edward and he laughed.

"Well we don't want Mommy to be uncomfortable do we Kitty? Let's see. Let me search the internet to see if I can find the perfect place for us all to eat," he said to Kitty as he pulled out his laptop with Kitty on his lap.

"Stop making fun of me. You don't know how uncomfortable it is to have a baby inside of you."

"Aww don't be mad. I was just teasing. How about here?" He pulled me closer to him and I tilted my head to look at the screen on his laptop.

"The reviews are great. It sounds promising." I said to him.

"Well Virgil's Real Barbecue it is then." Edward said and smiled.

Kitty fell asleep so Edward suggested we take the cab to the restaurant. "I miss driving." Edward stated and I laughed. He carried Kitty. We assumed she would wake up when we got to the restaurant.

"Yeah I miss the comfort of my own car too." I agreed in reply to his statement.

"How are you all doing today? My name is Anne. What's your name?" The waitress asked Kitty.

"I'm Kitty," Kitty smiled to the waitress.

"You have a beautiful name Kitty. Well what can I get for you and your Mommy and Daddy today?"

"Corndogs," Kitty happily said to the waitress with a huge smile on her face.

I don't know why I blushed when the waitress called us Daddy and Mommy. To an outsider of course we looked like a family. I glanced at Edward and to my surprise he was grinning. Maybe he enjoyed being called Daddy.

"Would you like something to drink first?"

"I'll have some Virgil's Ale," Edward answered.

"Great choice," The waitress smiled to Edward.

"I'll have some chocolate shake and a glass of milk for her please," I said to her.

"All right. Are you all ready to order the main dish? I'll just go and get your drinks and come right back if you need some more time," she said to Edward.

"We're ready to order. We'd like the buttermilk onion rings, Texas red chili for starters. Oklahoma State Fair Corndog for our daughter, and my wife and I'd like to share Virgil's Pig Out. Mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese for the 2 sides, and a small southern Caesar salad and the dessert sampler for dessert please," Edward said and the waitress repeated our order with a smile and left.

Warm tingly feelings coursed through me when he referred to Kitty and me the way he did. "Daughter? Wife?" I teased him.

"Well she said Mommy and Daddy so I thought I'd just play along," he said and smiled. I just let it slide. I liked it that he referred to me as his wife and Kitty as his daughter. I was surprised at myself that I felt that way. I wasn't uncomfortable. I actually enjoyed it.

"I'm excited. Virgil's Pig Out sounds really good. We get to sample all different kinds like ribs, chicken, brisket, pork, and Texas link. I hope I have room left in my stomach for dessert. I really want to try the dessert sampler." I said to change the subject.

"I'm glad you're enjoying this restaurant Bella. The dessert sampler looked great. I saw that too. It comes with pecan, peanut butter, chocolate chess, key lime pies and banana pudding. We'll just have to make sure we have room."

"I wonder where Alice and Jasper is dining tonight," I said to Edward.

"I think Jasper mentioned they're going to a restaurant in Tribeca called City Hall New York. It's supposed to have this elegant and graceful old New York feel to the place. Then they're going to Swing 46. It's a jazz and supper club. Alice wants to swing dance."

"Classy. It's so Alice. It sounds really fun. You should join them later." I suggested to Edward.

"Tonight's about the three of us. How about we have the dessert sampler and pick 2 desserts we liked the most from it and take those back to the hotel? We can watch a movie back in your room and eat the dessert we take out." Edward suggested and I nodded.

"What should we do tomorrow? Alice is coming to pick Kitty up around 4 p.m. to take her to Cozy's Cuts for Kids for the photo shoot so we have time until then." I said to Edward.

"Well we're having dinner at One if by Land Two if by Sea tomorrow night. Alice found the restaurant and she thinks you're gonna love the place." Edward smiled.

"How so?" I asked.

"The restaurant was voted most romantic restaurant by the Open Table reviewers and received several awards. ZAGAT rated it as Excellent and Décor 27, and it was also rated on the Michelin Guide. The actual restaurant was an old carriage house that belonged to Aaron Burr," he said.

"Oh wow that's and interesting historical place. A restaurant formerly a carriage house which belonged to our former vice president who was responsible for the death of Alexander Hamilton in a duel."

"I'm glad you find the place interesting. I've already planned what to do tomorrow." Edward said to me.

"What's the plan?" I asked him.

"It's a surprise. I think we'll have a great time. All I'm going to tell you is that Jasper and Alice will join us for breakfast. They want to take pictures of Kitty." Edward said and smiled.

The food arrived and it was soooo good. Kitty loved her corndog and she even ate a lot of the other food we ordered. The dessert was great and instead of choosing 2 samples from what we ate we chose NY cheesecake, Alice's homemade apple pie, and rice pudding to take out since those weren't in the sampler and we wanted to try them.

"Edward, how about we buy some merchandise at the gift shop here for Emmett? Look there's a T shirt that says, 'Best Butt on Broadway.'"

"I think Emmett would love that T shirt. We should get him the T shirt and the baseball cap. How about we pick up some of their barbecue sauce as well so that we can barbecue some ribs back in LA?"

"Oh that sounds like a terrific idea. Let's do that. We also need to buy souvenir tomorrow for your parents and Rosalie. What should we get for them? I would think it should be unique to New York and something they can't buy online."

"You know it's really far and rare to find stores without an online shopping site these days."

"I know one place that makes chocolates and macaroons and only sells in person. It's called Kee's chocolates. They have some really unique chocolate flavors like Thai chili, smoked salt, Mango green tea, Pineapple lychee, lavender, saffron, elderflower, fennel, pepper, balsamic, the list goes on. They have close to 50 flavors."

"That sounds like an awesome idea. Let's just get those chocolates and macaroons for them. Do they have unique macaroon flavors too?"

"I think they had some unique flavors like shiso, kiwi with pear, pineapple and papaya, ginger and peach, green tea with jasmine, and sesame." I said trying to remember the flavors they had.

"Where's the store located?"

"There's a store in SOHO and one in Midtown." I said trying to remember the location.

We returned to the hotel and Kitty and I went to our room but Edward had to stop by his room to pick up Kitty's stroller and the diaper bag. I gave him my spare key card so that he can come in on his own since I wanted to bathe Kitty.

"I'm back!" I heard Edward's voice while I towel dried Kitty. I chuckled when he said he was back. This was my room and not his so he wasn't returning unless he considered this our room.

As soon as Kitty heard Edward's voice she ran out of the bathroom. She was naked with just a towel draped over her shoulders. Kitty giggled and ran around the room.

"Kathryn!" I yelled and ran around the room trying to catch her but she was so small she was able to get through places I couldn't.

Edward quickly grabbed my arm and stopped me from running. "Bella! Stop! You'd do more harm to yourself than if Kitty fell. What would've happened if you crashed into the glass table? Don't forget that you're pregnant." He said and he looked very serious.

He sat me down on the couch. Kitty was still running around the room but Edward blocked her when she crawled out from under the table and lifted her off her feet. He sat her down on the couch beside me and said to her, "Princess no running around the room. It can be very dangerous and you don't want to get scratches on your pretty face do you?"

Kitty shook her head and said, "No. I'm sorry."

I got up and went to get her clothes. I dressed her into her pajamas while Edward towel dried her hair.

I noticed Edward had brought a duffel bag with him and wondered what was in it. Beside the bag was a Guggenheim gift shop bag. He grabbed the bag and we went to tuck Kitty in bed. He pulled a children's story book out of the bag. It was called "I'd like the Goo-gen-heim."

We tucked Kitty in bed and we both lay down beside her. Edward started reading the story to her. It was about a boy who wandered out of Central Park when his father fell asleep.

"Sound familiar?" Edward said and winked at me.

Then the boy saw a sight on Fifth Avenue that impressed him. It was the Solomon R. Guggenheim museum. Then the boy goes into the museum and is further impressed by all the art inside. Kitty loved all the pictures. Edward told me that this book was published first in 1970 and had been out of print. The book was now back as a new edition with the original text and illustrations. He said this was a wonderful introductory to art for children.

Kitty fell asleep so we went back to the couch. "Thank you so much Edward. It was so thoughtful of you to get Kitty that book and I'm sure Kitty is going to treasure it." I thanked Edward and really loved that he got Kitty such a wonderful book.

"I love the Guggenheim museum and wanted Kitty to enjoy Guggenheim one day too so I thought I'd introduce it to her first from the book," he said and smiled. There was so much kindness in his eyes it made my heart melt.

"Would you please write something in the book for her and put today's day on it so Kitty would remember it?" I said to Edward.

Edward smiled and said, "Already done."

"I don't think I've ever met a man as considerate, caring, and sweet as you. Where were you hiding?" I winked at him.

"Only for you my love," he said and wrapped his arms around me. His face was so close to mine that I could feel his breath on me. Our eyes met and then his lips were on mine. It was a gentle kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck and our kiss deepened. Our tongues moved slowly taking in every sensation. His lips left mine and went behind my ear and trailed down my neck kissing every inch of it. I kissed his neck and ran my fingers through his hair. His hands gently caressed my back. He broke the kiss when my chest started to heave and then gave me a quick peck on my nose.

"Wanna start a movie or watch T.V.?" he asked.

"Movie. Something funny and very New York," I suggested.

Edward laughed and said, "I know the perfect one! Ghostbusters!"

"Oh my gosh I don't think I've seen it in ages. You realize that movie was released when I was a toddler right?" I said to Edward.

"Well it's one of Emmett's and my favorite," Edward said and laughed.

"When someone asks you if you are a god, you say YES!" I said and laughed. He certainly had the looks of a roman god.

"Well I'm impressed that you remember a quote from that movie," he said to me.

"Yeah well my Dad, my Mom and I loved that movie. We watched it so many times. It's one of the few good memories I have of my parents when were still together and happy."

"Well we can have another tradition. We'll watch it every time we come back to New York together." He said and laughed.

"We're missing popcorn and and candies." I pouted.

"Not a problem." Edward said and dug into the duffel bag. He pulled out a bag of cool ranch Doritos and white cheddar cheese popcorn. "There's Dean and Deluca chocolates and sweets from Dylan's Candy Bar stocked in the mini bar." He said as he walked to the mini bar.

We munched on chips, candies, and the dessert we brought back from Virgil's while we watched the movie. Towards the end of the movie my eyelids felt heavy. "Edward would you like to spend the night with us?" I asked him.

I saw the brightest smile grow on Edward. "I was hoping you'd ask me. I actually brought my sweats and something to wear tomorrow." He said sheepishly.

"Oh! So that's what was in the duffel bag. I wondered what was in it," I said and winked at him.

"You walked a lot today. Why don't you go take a bath and relax your muscles?" He said to me.

"That's an excellent suggestion. I'm gonna go take a bath now then. Go ahead and tuck yourself in bed if you want to. Kitty won't wake up even if the TV or the lights are on." I said and left the room.

I removed my make-up and brushed my hair while I filled the tub. I poured some Kiehl's bath gel that was provided as amenity by the hotel. The smell of lavender relaxed me instantly. In a couple of minutes I heard something slide under the door and the sound of a door shut. When I looked it was a note from Edward. "I'll be right back. I forgot to bring a couple of things," it said.

I thought it was really sweet of him that he slid me a note so that I don't worry. He was always so thoughtful. He was just like Alice. They thought way ahead of things and anticipated things to come before they did.

When I came out of the bathroom after drying my hair he was already in bed with his back propped up. His hair was wet. He must've showered back in his room. I saw that we had more blankets and pillows and it confused me. Edward noticed that I was staring at the pillows.

"I asked for more pillows so that you can prop your feet up and in case you might want extra pillows for your lower back," he explained to me.

"Thanks Edward. My lower back was bothering me since I got here but I was always too tired at night to bother asking housekeeping for more pillows."

Kitty rolled over to my side so the only place I could sleep was in the middle of the bed.

"Come to bed. I promise I won't bite," he said and winked at me.

I crawled to the middle of the bed and snuggled under the covers. Edward turned the lights out and slipped his arm over my waist and pulled me closer to him. He brought his head closer to mine and kissed me behind my ear. He then whispered. "Good night my love. Sweet dreams."

"Good night Edward."

Sun shined into the bedroom and I woke up. I realized I forgot to close the curtains last night. I glanced over to the other side of my bed and somehow during the night Kitty moved and was now between Edward and me. I lay on my side and watched the two of them. Kitty now clung to Edward and Edward's arms were wrapped around her securely holding her close to him. They looked so pure and innocent. I wished this moment of happiness would never end.

Edward must have sensed my eyes on them. His eyes slowly opened. A bright and shining smile broke on his face. "Good morning, my sweet Bella. Did you sleep well?"

"I did. Thank you. I feel refreshed and ready for our last full day in New York. I'm going to miss our time together." I said as I reflected back on the last few days I spent with him.

"Me too but it doesn't have to be that way. I know this isn't the most romantic way to bring this up to you but otherwise we have too many interruptions. Bella, the last few days spent with you were the best days of my life. I enjoyed every minute of it. I don't want to spend time away from you and Kitty and I don't want competition. Will you consider being exclusive with me? I know it may seem too early for you but I've never felt so close to someone or so fulfilled."

I was overwhelmed by what he just professed to me. Was I ready to be in a relationship? Was it too soon? I was in deep thought when Edward spoke again.

"You don't need to answer me now. I just needed you to know how I felt. Tell me when you are ready. No pressure," he said and smiled.

I lay there in silence trying hard to form a coherent sentence. "I want a relationship with you. I don't want to see anyone else. I love spending time with you. You make me happy and you make me feel complete. You make my heart melt when I see you and Kitty together. She loves you so much and I've never seen her happier. I'm scared that if I love someone again and lose that person I don't think I can pick myself up again but I can honestly say that I want to be with you. Is that enough for an answer?"

"You've said all I needed to hear," he said and reached out to pull me closer to him. We three were now all cuddled together and Kitty stirred awake.

"I'm hungry." Kitty said and her tummy growled.

"Why don't I help you get dressed while Mommy takes a shower?" he said and got out of bed with Kitty.

"What time do we need to get ready by and where are we having breakfast?" I asked Edward.

"We're going to Madeline's Tea Party at the Bemelmans' bar this morning. Alice and Jasper will meet us there at 9:55 a.m." Edward said.

"What is a Madeline's tea party?" I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Well Alice read that Tom Cruise's daughter, Siri, had a tea party at Bemelmans' bar so she looked into it and found out that Bemelmans' bar have an event called Madeline's tea open to adults and children. So today we get to see Bemelmans' mural together. There are 2 seating. One at 10 a.m. and the other at 12:30 so I chose the 10 a.m. one so that we can leave the hotel to go do things right after than having to come back to the hotel at 12:30."

"That's really awesome. I was wondering if I would ever get the chance to see the mural. Would've been a laugh if I told people I stayed at The Carlyle but didn't see the mural. Other than food do they have some kind of entertainment there for kids?"

"Alice said there's live performance. Tina de Varon sings jazz standards and children's songs. They also sell the Madeline books and the tea set."

"Wow that's amazing. Kitty's gonna love it. What kind of food do they have?" I asked as I was concerned whether all the food was only geared towards the children.

"They have children's buffet and separate food for the adults." Edward said.

"Well I'm heading off to the shower. I'll see you two in a bit." I said and hurried to the shower.

**Edward POV**

I enjoyed our time at Bemelmans. Alice and Jasper seemed satisfied they got great pictures. Bella said this was Kitty's first time to see a live performance by a professional. I wished I had known that earlier. I would have taken Kitty to a Broadway musical while we were here. Kitty was really happy and Alice got her the Madeline tea set. Bella frowned that Kitty got another tea set. She said Kitty owned too many tea sets now. I gave Bella a kiss on her forehead and told her she can bring the tea set to my place as I didn't have anything for Kitty to play with. They haven't come to my place yet and I probably needed help from Alice to make my place look inviting to Kitty and Bella.

We said our goodbyes to Alice and Jasper and headed out of the hotel.

"What's next?" Bella asked.

"Well I was thinking we need to leave in the afternoon for the airport tomorrow so I thought we'd take a short walk through Central Park today since we haven't had a chance yet. Then after that I'm taking you two to Books of Wonder. It's a bookstore for children. It's the oldest and largest bookstore for children in New York." I said to Bella.

"Oh that's wonderful." Bella said and looked excited. I loved seeing the both of them smile. I loved their appreciation of simple pleasures. It was so pure and heartwarming.

We got to the bookstore and looked around. A book caught my attention. It was called "Bunnicula: A rabbit tale of mystery." It was a hilarious tale about a vampire rabbit told from the family dog's viewpoint. There was another book of Bunnicula in the series. "Bunnicula meets Edgar Allan Crow." I thought they were both hilarious but Bella didn't find any humor in it. I decided to buy a copy each and donate it to my clinic. It was a 25th anniversary edition. I had a sneaking suspicion that maybe this book was reprinted recently because of all the hype around vampire books, T.V. series, and movies.

We didn't want to waste any time so went to our next location of interest, Kee's chocolates. We bought quite a few boxes of chocolates and macaroons. We were sending them back to LA by courier from the hotel so that we wouldn't have to hassle with them.

We headed back uptown to L'Absinthe for lunch. I was told by Alice that this French Brasserie had special children's hamburger we could order for Kitty. Only Alice would know such fine detail. If anyone passed this upscale restaurant no one would know such item existed for children. Bella looked exquisite in her pastel blue cardigan and champagne colored dress. Kitty looked adorable in her puffy red satin and tulle dress. Bella told me that Alice purchased the dress for Kitty at Bergdorf Goodman the first day they arrived here in New York. I was proud to flaunt my two beautiful ladies. They were my Princesses Chantante.

Before we went back to the hotel to wait for Alice, Bella wanted to make one last stop at Agata & Valentina which was a gourmet market and restaurant. She wanted to pick up A&V pasta sauces, preserves, fresh made pastas, bottles of olive oil, cakes, and pastries for herself, Rosalie, and my Mom. I asked her if she could pick some things for me too so that I could stock up in my kitchen. They made gift baskets so it was very convenient to send as souvenir.

"Are you sure we don't have to pick up anything especially for your Dad?" Bella asked.

"I really can't think of anything and my Dad has sweet tooth so he'll love what we send them." I answered Bella.

We headed back to the hotel so that we could pack up the goods and send them to Rosalie and Mom. Kitty fell asleep in the stroller while we shopped at Agata & Valentina so I picked her up and tucked her in bed for her nap. Alice was coming over in about an hour so she still had plenty of time to nap.

Bella looked tired so I suggested we also nap until Alice arrived to pick up Kitty. Our dinner reservation was at 8 p.m. so when Alice comes to pick Kitty up at 4 p.m. Bella would still have plenty of time to get dressed.

"Let's stay at my place tonight. I haven't slept a single night in my room since I checked into this hotel." I laughed and Bella joined.

"Oh, of course. I'll make an overnight back then. I bet housekeeping was happy. I wonder if they turned your bed down every night." She said and I wondered too.

I woke up to the buzzing of Bella's phone. It seemed like she received a text. I shook Bella awake and told her to check her phone.

"It's Alice. It said not to bother fixing Kitty's hair after her nap because they were taking her to Cozy's Cuts for Kids to get her picture taken and her hair done. I hope Kitty has a great time. That place looked really fun and cute. They sold lots of hair products and accessories for kids. I think Alice is probably going to buy a lot of hair pins and ties for Kitty. Soon Kitty's gonna have enough to wear something every day. I swear!" Bella said and laughed.

"Kitty is my princess. She deserves all the pretty things in this world." I said and gave a peck on Bella's lips.

***************

**A/N**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter will start EPOV from Bella and Edward's dinner at One if by Land, Two if by Sea.

**Please take a moment and review! Thank you!**


	16. Chapter 16 Page of Cups Part 4

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot.

The web sites to some of the locations mentioned in my story are on my profile. Hopefully they help you visualize the environment the characters are in and enhance your experience when you read my story.

Thank you for reading my story and please leave me a review!

It's possible to leave a review even if you don't have an account. Just type in any name you want and leave a review. Thank you!

**Chapter 16 Page of Cups Part 4**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, and Alice**

**Edward POV**

I was back in my room to get ready for dinner. Excited about my plans for Bella tonight, I made a call to my mother today to ask her for help. I told her about how things progressed with Bella and wanted help in decorating my hotel room. Mom made calls to her floral designer friend in Manhattan. It was very last minute but her friend was more than accommodating. She agreed to decorate my room with flowers and candles. I told Mom I wanted the room perfect and to tell her friend no holds barred. Mom got Alice involved and most preparations were being made in Alice and Jasper's room. All I needed to do was text them when we leave the restaurant. That was not the end of my plan. I still had more. Tomorrow morning I was taking Bella to the other side of the river for Brunch at The River Café. I called Alice earlier and begged her to keep Kitty till after Brunch. Alice and Jasper were absolute gems. They told me not to worry about Kitty and to have a wonderful time that they would keep Kitty till we all check out of the hotel tomorrow.

I know Bella agreed to be exclusive with me but I still wanted to show her how much I wanted her and just because she agreed to be with me didn't mean that romance was dead. I had more work to do. I needed my place back in LA turned into something comfortable for Bella and Kitty as they would now be spending time there since Bella and I were together. My place was a bachelor's pad right now with just essentials. Mom volunteered to come down to LA earlier than planned to decorate my place. If all progressed well between Bella and me in a few months I considered asking her to move in with me after the baby was born. I had plenty of room and Bella's place was only a 2 bedroom so there was no room to make a nursery.

I day dreamed too long and realized it was time to pick up Bella. I grabbed my key card and hurried to knock on her door. She opened the door and I stepped inside.

"Good evening Bella. You… you look like you need help?" Her dress was hanging on her with just her arms in the sleeves and looked stressed out.

"Thank you Edward. I need you to help me zip this dress up. I had Alice last time to get dressed and forgot I couldn't zip the dress up myself." She turned around so that I could zip the dress up for her. I felt a blush creep up my face. I pushed away the desire I felt to touch and kiss her exposed back. I closed my eyes and quickly zipped her dress up so that I won't be further bothered with my less than pure thoughts.

We got in the cab and headed to One if by Land, Two if by Sea. Bella looked so beautiful. Her hair was down and curled at the ends. Her black dress clung to her to just below her breasts and slightly puffed to delicately cover her belly bump. The dress was classic and elegant. It matched her perfectly.

We got to the restaurant and escorted to our table. "This place is beautiful. Thank you Edward," Bella said and smiled at me.

"The pleasure is all mine. What would you like to drink? I could ask them to make you a mocktail if you wish."

"If you don't mind I think I'd just like sparkling water with a slice of lemon in it. Something like VOSS or San Pellegrino would be just fine."

I ordered our drinks and we selected the Prix Fixe. We both chose Beef Wellington as our main entrée since it was their signature dish. The live piano added a nice touch to the already romantic air that filled the place.

"I love the ambience here. So elegant and beautiful," she said as she glanced around.

"I'm glad you are enjoying the place. They say that on the average half a dozen proposals happen here in a week." I chuckled.

"I think I can understand that. It is a really lovely romantic restaurant." Bella smiled.

"If I may ask. How did Stephen propose to you?" I felt nervous after I asked her. Maybe it was something really personal to her.

"Well I turned him down the first time. The second time I didn't even know that he was going to propose again. He was actually really romantic. He took me on a weekend trip to San Francisco. He booked a room at Mark Hopkins hotel in San Francisco. The hotel was absolutely gorgeous. He took me to dinner to Top of the Mark restaurant. Dropped down on his knees and proposed to me. He even had an engagement ring." Bella said and I was relieved that I didn't see sadness in her eyes. It was more melancholic than anything else.

"He was a romantic kind of guy?" I know it was irrational to be competitive over the deceased but I felt a tinge of jealousy.

"Far from. That's why I was really surprised. I found out later that he had help from Alice though." Bella chuckled.

"Gotta hand it to Alice. She's great at finding the perfect place. We should come here again next time we come to New York." I said.

"I'd love that," she said and smiled radiantly.

"I'm due back to work on Monday. I'm going to be busy all week. I won't know until the last minute how early I'll get to leave on the weekdays so I was wondering if you and Kitty would join me on Saturday."

"Sure Edward. How about we all go to Farmers Market and I'll cook us dinner." She suggested.

"That sounds really great. I heard some really great things about that place. "

"Call me if you get an evening free before Saturday. I'd love to cook for you with some of the stuff I bought at Agata and Valentina today."

"That sounds wonderful. I'd offer my place for you to cook but I need to get some kitchenware before I do that." I laughed.

"You don't have kitchenware?" She looked confused.

"I have bare necessities but I left all that I had in Chicago with my ex-girlfriend. I only brought things I owned before I met her to my place in LA."

"I see. I can understand that. Most of my furniture is new too. I kept some stuff in storage but gave most of it away before we left for Chicago. We rented a furnished place in Chicago so we didn't have to buy furniture. Esme ordered the bed right before Kitty and I moved back to LA by the way," she said and winked at me. I blushed.

"You're a tease Isabella." I said and Bella laughed.

The meal was excellent. After they cleared our table to bring our desserts Bella dug into her purse and pulled out a little gift wrapped box.

"Our tradition. This is for you." She said and handed me the box.

I totally forgot that she told me she was going to find something for me. "May I open it here?" I asked and she nodded.

I unwrapped the gift and opened the box. In it was a pair of cufflinks made out of the New York subway token. "Wow Bella. I love it. You really didn't have to get me one. I was happy enough with just you wearing the bracelet."

"I wanted to find something unique to New York and they stopped using the tokens in 2003. The token used on the cuff link is an authentic 15cent token but they are ones from 1953-1970 though. I'm going to get you a cufflink unique to New York every time we come back here together."

"I love it Bella. It's a lovely piece and I wear cufflinks often so this is perfect. Thank you so much Bella." I squeezed her hand softly and kissed her hand.

The desserts arrived and they were absolutely scrumptious. I settled the check and got our coats. While Bella was in the powder room I sent the text to notify that we were leaving the restaurant to go back to the hotel. We got in the cab and headed straight to the hotel.

I opened the door and held the door for her and saw Bella stunned. Surprise broke on her face when she saw countless petals trailed towards the room from the entryway. "Oh Edward!...it's…it's…so beautiful," she said and hugged me tightly. The room was decorated with arrangements with tulles and ribbons filled with roses, gardenias, tulips, calla lilies, and hydrangeas. Even I felt overwhelmed by the beauty of it.

"I can't believe my eyes. I thought these things only happen in movies. Am I dreaming?" She said as she walked around the room adoring and touching the decorations in the room. Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"What's wrong love?" I asked worried that maybe it was too much.

"Nothing is wrong. These are happy tears. Remember I'm a hormonal pregnant woman?" She said as she wiped the tears off her face. "It's so beautiful but I only get to enjoy this tonight. We're leaving tomorrow." She said and sighed softly.

"Don't worry love. The floral designer is coming in tomorrow and sending some back to LA to your place." I told her and held her tight.

"You're an amazing man Edward Cullen. How did I get so lucky?"

"You bring out the best in me. Without you I was nothing. Let's sit down. I have sparkling apple cider chilled for you." I filled the champagne flute with the cider.

We sat down on the couch but I wasn't comfortable in a suit so I assumed the same with Bella. "Would you like me to help you out of your dress?"

"In a hurry to undress me?" She said seductively but then she stuck her tongue out at me. I loved the playful side of Bella but with Kitty around her most of the time it was rare to witness this side of her.

"If I was in a hurry I would have ripped the dress off of you as soon as we were inside the door," I whispered into her ear.

"Now who's the tease?" Bella said and laughed. "I'm going to go and take a bath. Please unzip the dress for me." I unzipped her dress and she held the dress on with her hand at her chest. She picked up her overnight bag and left for the bathroom.

I stripped down to my T shirt and boxers and plopped on the couch. I switched on the T.V. and my phone rang. It was Alice.

"Hello my dearest sister. You have impeccable timing. Bella just went to take a bath."

"Hi Edward. So I take it that you two are back in the room?"

"Yeah we just got back. Thank you for everything. The room looks heavenly."

"I just wanted to make sure everything went all right. Take all of your stuff to Bella's in the morning so that the floral designer can get into your room and pack everything up. Jasper took pictures before you guys stepped into the room just so you know. See you guys at 3 p.m. in the lobby tomorrow. Jasper, Kitty and I are probably leaving the hotel for breakfast around 8 a.m. so that we can start early. I need to do some serious souvenir shopping. Jazzy and I haven't bought anything for anyone yet." Alice said.

"Good luck with that. We finished our souvenir shopping and even couriered Mom and Rosalie's souvenir today." I said proudly.

"Wow! You two really work in unison and fast. What did you guys buy anyway?" She asked. I would have kept it a surprise but just in case they end up duplicate of something we bought I thought I'd better tell her.

"We bought some chocolates and macaroons at Kee's chocolates, and a bunch of pasta sauce, preserves, pastries, cookies etc. at Agata and Valentina. Oh! Also T shirt, hat, and BBQ sauce from Virgil's."

"You guys bought so much food. Oh but Bella is pregnant. She must have thoughts of food all day. All that food talk made me hungry again. I think I'm going to order some room service. I already ate all the chocolates and candies that were stocked in the mini bar. Let Bella know what's up tomorrow okay. If there's anything Bella remembers she forgot to buy tell her to call me. Be good kids. See you two in the afternoon." She said and I laughed really hard.

I felt sorry for Jasper. Alice sounded really hyper from all the sugar she ate.

Bella came out of the bathroom wearing a white silk robe. I walked up to her and hugged her. "I'll be out in a few. I'll quickly shower." I said and kissed her head.

When I came out of the shower Bella was already tucked in bed with her silk robe draped over her shoulders. She was wearing a cream colored lace and satin wrap nightgown. She looked incredibly sexy tonight. Unlike any of the other nights I spent with her. I got excited. I anticipated something to be different tonight than the previous nights. She noticed me looking at her, smiled, and patted the bed to signal me to join her.

***************

**A/N**

I'm sorry it's a shorter chapter. I needed to cut it here so that the next chapter isn't extremely short. The next chapter starts from where I left off in the bedroom, the morning after, and on to their departure for LA. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please take a moment and leave a review. Reviews help me write better and faster. Thank you!


	17. Chapter 17 Page of Cups Part 5

**A/N**

**Edited Oct. 15th,2009**

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the wonderful reviews you've written for me and to thank all the people supporting my story. This story has been up for a month now since I published Chapter 1 on Sept. 16th, 2009. In a month I've had more than 500 visitors per chapter except for the last 2 since it was just published. Thank you so much. You've all been amazing. If you could please take a moment and drop me 1 comment so that my review numbers could go up and attract more viewers it would really make my Chihuahua and I happy!

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot.

The web sites of the locations mentioned in the chapters are on my profile so that it might help to visualize the environment the characters are in.

Just a reminder. This story is **rated M**.

**Recap of the end of Chap 16: **

_**Edward POV**_

_Bella came out of the bathroom wearing a white silk robe. I walked up to her and hugged her. "I'll be out in a few. I'll quickly shower." I said and kissed her head. _

_When I came out of the shower Bella was already tucked in bed with her silk robe draped over her shoulders. She wore a cream colored lace and satin wrap nightgown. She looked incredibly sexy tonight. Unlike any of the other nights I spent with her. I got excited. I anticipated something to be different tonight than the previous nights. She noticed me looking at her, smiled, and patted the bed to signal me to join her. _

**Chapter 17 Page of Cups Part 5 **

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper, and Kitty**

**Edward POV **

"You look gorgeous love."

"I tried. I wanted to look sexy since Kitty isn't with us tonight. I wanted to hang my mommy hat up for the night." Bella said and looked down at her swollen belly. "Well I can't totally escape Mommy duty but…" She said and laughed.

"You are the sexiest, most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on and you are mine." I said and wrapped my arms around her and kissed her on her lips.

I meant to just lightly kiss her but before I could pull away, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her lips harder onto mine. Her mouth opened and her soft tongue glided over my lips and asked for permission to enter my mouth. I obliged and opened my lips. Her tongue slid in and I moved my tongue to meet hers. Our tongues fought for domination. Her arms tightened around my neck and her breasts now rubbed on my chest. I felt her nipples harden from the friction.

I slid my hand behind her back and caressed her back. She took her arms off my neck and slid her hands under my T shirt and caressed my back. My T shirt rolled up my torso and Bella put her hands on both sides of my T shirt and tugged it off over my head exposing my chest.

I trailed my tongue from behind her ear down her neck and sucked on her shoulder delicately. I slid my hand inside the neckline of her nightgown and down her cleavage. My hand cupped her breast and I gently squeezed it. I rubbed my thumb gently over her hardened nipple and looked into her eyes. I was worried maybe her breasts were tender from the pregnancy. Her eyes were full of desire and she nodded at me so I took it as a sign that there weren't any discomfort.

I held her tight and slid her gently onto her back. I untied the ribbon of her nightgown and spread it open. She was now only in her white laced cheekies. I placed myself between her legs and my hands on her sides. I made sure my weight was off her stomach. I trailed kisses from her neck down to her cleavage onto her stomach while I caressed her breast with one of my hands. The sexy moans from Bella sent shock through my body and blood rushed downwards. I felt myself grow hard and now my sleep pants strained and felt uncomfortably tight.

I slid my hands behind her legs up to the back of her thighs and bent her legs with my hands. I spread her bent legs and trailed kisses from her knee down to on her inner thigh. I glanced at her to make sure she wasn't feeling any discomfort on her back but her eyes were closed and I heard her moan.

I scooted myself up and now my erection was pressed between her legs. Her eyes shot open. Her eyes were filled with lust. She must've felt how hard I was. I leaned forward and placed her nipple into my mouth. I rolled my tongue around her nipple and flicked it with my tongue. Bella's moan encouraged me to go further. I slid my fingers into the side of her cheekies. Before I was able to tug on her cheekies the unthinkable happened. My phone rang. It fucking rang. I wondered if I could ignore it. I wanted to ignore it. I felt like throwing the phone against the wall. I regretted forgetting to switch off the phone. Bella noticed my internal struggle over the phone.

Bella sighed. "You should get it. It's ringing at such an ungodly hour it has to be important," she said with understanding in her eyes and voice.

"I'm so sorry Bella." I apologized and grabbed the phone. When I checked the caller ID, I was shocked to see that it was Jasper and panic rushed through me. I was instantly filled with fear over Kitty's well being.

"It's Jasper," I said to Bella. Bella turned white from fear and quickly sat up.

I picked up the phone and answered. "Jasper. What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry to call you at this hour but Kitty is crying cuz she doesn't have her teddy bear. We have Bella's key card and Alice went looking for it but she couldn't find it anywhere. We tried everything but she won't stop crying." Jasper apologized to me.

"Just a sec Jasper. I'll ask Bella."

"Bella, he's saying Kitty is crying for her teddy bear. Alice went and searched for it in your room but couldn't find it." I said to Bella and saw her frown.

"It's not there because we didn't bring it. The stitching became undone so I sent it to the manufacturer. It's being repaired right now. I should go and get Kitty. They shouldn't have to deal with her," Bella said and grabbed her nightgown and started to dress.

"Jasper, we'll come and get Kitty." I told Jasper and I grabbed my T shirt.

"We'll go together and bring Kitty back here," I said to Bella and kissed her on her forehead.

"I'm really sorry Edward," Bella apologized to me.

"What are you apologizing for?" I didn't understand why she was apologizing to me.

"For ruining the moment," she said and chewed on her lower lip.

"You didn't ruin the moment. Kitty means the world to me too Bella."

While Bella got dressed my phone rang again. It was Alice this time.

"Hi Alice. What's wrong now?" I was confused why she was calling when I just told Jasper we were coming to get Kitty. Bella also looked really confused.

"I'm sorry. We should have tried harder. Kitty got tired from crying and fell asleep just now. Jasper thinks it's probably better not to move her. He thinks she might get really cranky." Alice said.

"Hold on Alice, I'll ask Bella."

"Bella, Kitty fell asleep exhausted from crying. Jasper thinks it's better not to move her or she'll get really cranky. What do you want to do?"

"Can I talk to Alice?" Bella asked so I handed the phone over to Bella.

"Alice, I'm so sorry I put you two through all this. You guys must be really exhausted. She might get cranky but let me take her out of your hands… yeah but Alice I feel awful… really Alice I should go and get her… That's true. She would be in an awful mood on the plane. Okay I get what you mean. Thanks Alice… Um really? I'm sure Edward wouldn't mind if we took Kitty with us to brunch… okay then I guess we'll see you guys in the afternoon. Thanks Alice I really owe you two. Goodnight." Bella said and hung up.

"What did Alice say?"

"She told me to leave her with them and go have brunch as planned just the two of us. She said she promised Kitty they were taking her to eat hotdogs tomorrow morning and we were doing everyone a favor by leaving Kitty with her because Kitty would be cranky on the plane if she doesn't get the hotdogs. I think it was Alice's way of convincing me to let her keep her so that we can still have an alone time tonight and tomorrow morning." Bella said and she looked torn.

I held Bella really tight. "If you want to go and get her then let's go and get her but if you are thinking about Alice and Jasper I think it would make both of them happier if you left Kitty with them. We both know Alice really well. If you went to get Kitty, Alice will feel like she failed you. Of course she hasn't but I think that's what she would feel like. Let her keep her as planned unless you miss Kitty and want her with you." I explained to Bella.

"You're right. Thanks. Alice would feel that way if I went and got her. I feel really bad though." Bella said and sighed.

"All right beautiful. Let's get go back to bed and catch a few more hours of sleep. You and the baby need it." I said and we got back in bed. I gave her a soft peck on her lips and we cuddled to sleep.

**Bella POV**

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. "Hello?"

"Good morning Bella. Jasper, Kitty and I are standing in front of your door right now. I thought maybe you might want to give Kitty a good morning kiss before we headed off to breakfast."

Alice always knew what I needed. After last night she must have assumed I felt guilty and wanted to make sure I saw her in the morning. "Thanks Alice. Go ahead and open the door I'll be there in a minute."

When I stepped out of the bedroom I saw Jasper singing Snoop Dogg's "I love my Momma" with Kitty and Alice shaking their booty.

"Kids! Edward is still sleeping." I tried to shush them. Then I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist.

"Who's sleeping? I wouldn't miss this for the world." Edward said and chuckled as he joined me.

"Edward!" Kitty said and flew towards Edward.

Edward unwrapped his arms off of me and picked Kitty up. "Good morning princess. How are you this morning?" He asked and kissed Kitty on her nose.

"I'm hungry. Gonna eat hotdogs." Kitty said and smiled.

"Aww no kiss for mommy?" I said to Kitty. Kitty waved her hand in a pfft motion. I feigned a pout to Kitty so she leaned out towards me and gave me a kiss.

"All right. We should get going. I'll see you two later in the lobby okay!" Jasper took Kitty from Edward and they left for breakfast.

"How about I make us some coffee?" Edward smiled and asked.

"That sounds perfect."I replied with a yawn.

With a cup of coffee in hand Edward read the newspaper while I watched the morning news.

"I'll go and take a shower now so that you can take time in the bathroom." Edward said and headed to the shower.

I couldn't believe that we've spent a week in New York already and that we were flying home today. I had a wonderful time here in New York and felt nervous how things would be between Edward and I once we were back in LA.

I heard the bathroom door close and heard Edward's footsteps. I felt his strong arms wrap around my shoulder and he rested his chin on top of my head.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked.

"That I'm going to miss New York. I had a really great time here."

"Well it's not over yet. I'm hoping to charm you once more as a finale. You should go and get ready, our reservation is at 11. " Edward said and smiled.

I got up from the couch and headed to the shower. I showered quickly and got dressed. I blow dried my hair straight considering I had a long flight back to LA later in the day. When I stepped out of the bathroom Edward said he needed to check on his room to make sure he didn't leave anything behind and left my room. I decided to finish packing as well so that I wouldn't have to do anything when we came back to the hotel after brunch.

After I packed my toiletries Edward came back. "The car is here. Are you ready?" Edward asked and smiled.

Edward held my hand and led me out of the door. He helped me into the car and we headed towards Brooklyn where The River Café was. Edward leaned into me and rested his chin on my shoulder.

"I think I'm going to experience separation anxiety when I'm back in LA. I haven't spent a minute away from you the last few days." Edward said and sighed.

"Me too." I said and pouted. I was relieved to know that I wasn't the only one feeling anxious about returning to LA.

When I stepped out of the car I was blown away with how beautiful the view was. The view of Manhattan was gorgeous from this side of the river. I was sure it was even more beautiful at night. "Wow it's beautiful." I said to Edward.

"I'm glad you like it." Edward said and kissed my hand he was holding. We were escorted to our table by the window. We sat down and glanced at the menu.

"Are you going to order Eggs Benedict here too?" Edward said and chuckled.

"You know me too well but I think I'm going to order something different. It says I can order the pancakes as an appetizer so I'm going to order the Gianduja pancake with milk chocolate and caramelized hazelnuts and the Main Lobster Omelet for the main course. What are you having?"

"I think I'm going to have the Seafood Trio which is the crispy shrimp with key lime vinaigrette, ahi tuna with wasabi and avocado, and Main lobster dumpling with sesame for the appetizer. For the main course I think I'm having the Niman Ranch Sirloin Steak. It comes with poached eggs and crispy fondant potatoes."

"Wow that sounds really good."

"We're both getting something different. We can share so that we get to taste everything." Edward said and licked his lips.

We devoured the food as soon as it came. We both wanted a little something sweet to eat so we ordered the Chocolate Sticky Toffee Cake which was the pistachio ice cream sandwiched between 2 dark chocolate cookies with butterscotch sauce and Ronnybrook farm whipped cream. It was heavenly. I wished I ordered the whole thing for myself and didn't share with Edward.

"Let me guess what you are thinking," Edward said and giggled.

"What?"

"You look like you wished for more of the ice cream sandwich."

I blushed and looked down at the empty plate. I acted like I didn't hear anything.

"Tell you what, they have handmade chocolates here so let me get you a few boxes and let's head back to the hotel." Edward said and took my hand.

"Edward, don't worry about it okay, we have plenty of chocolates we bought yesterday."

"What harm can more chocolate do? You can always give it away. Plus you can't buy these chocolates anywhere but at this restaurant so it'll be a nice souvenir for someone." Edward said and smiled.

Edward purchased the chocolates and helped me into the car. I held on to Edward's arm tightly in the car with my head on his shoulder. Edward tilted his head and whispered into my ear, "let's come back here again so that we can see the view of Manhattan at night."

I shifted myself off of Edward and looked into his eyes. Edward held me closer to him and I moved my lips onto his. Edward ran his fingers through my hair and deepened the kiss. When I opened my eyes I saw the restaurant we were just at, now very small in the background as we made our way back into Manhattan.

When we approached the hotel I received a text from Jasper that he needed our help to pack. Alice evidently bought way too much that they needed to box the purchases.

When Edward and I entered Alice and Jasper's room we spotted Kitty covered in icing from cupcakes with popcorn stuck in her hair. Alice and Jasper were in tears from laughing too hard. All three of them literally looked like they dove into a box of cupcakes and sweets. The sickly sweet smell from the sweets in the room made me nauseous. I quickly covered my nose and dashed to the far corner of the room. Edward noticed that I was sick and signaled me to stay in the corner.

"Alice, Jasper, what the hell is going on here? Do you realize we need to check out of here in less than an hour from now?" Edward sounded irritated at Alice and Jasper.

"Sorry Edward. We were packing the clothes and before we knew it Kitty had opened the boxes of the cupcakes and fell down. Then she started to eat the cupcakes. We were buried in this corner of the room with all the shopping bags and couldn't reach Kitty before she started eating the sweets." Alice explained and apologized.

Edward looked disgusted at them but picked Kitty up and took her to the bathroom. I kept my nose covered and helped clean up the mess. Edward came out of the bathroom with Kitty showered and wrapped in a bathrobe when I finished cleaning the room. Edward handed Kitty to me and I dressed Kitty.

"Alice and Jasper go get changed. I'll finish packing your purchases." Edward said and pulled the items from the shopping bags into the boxes.

"Sorry guys."Alice and Jasper said and scurried into the bathroom.

Edward still looked really annoyed while he packed Alice and Jasper's purchases. I went and stood behind Edward. I rubbed circles on his back to soothe him.

"Don't worry about it Bella. I'm just irritated. I thought we'd get to relax till we check out of the hotel and didn't expect this." Edward said and sighed.

"I'm really sorry. It's Kitty's fault. I need to have a talk with Kitty about what she just did and explain to her what she did wrong so I'm going to go back to my room with her. Once I'm there I'll call the bell captain to take our luggage down." I said to Edward and left Alice and Jasper's room.

With our luggage safely loaded into our cars, we left the hotel for the airport. Kitty fell asleep so Edward carried her and Jasper helped me with my carry-on luggage. Once we past security we headed to Figs restaurant for a quick meal. Edward put Kitty in her stroller since she was asleep and we all sat down.

"I'm exhausted. I could use a beer." Edward said and chuckled.

"Me too." Alice and Jasper chimed in together.

"I wish but I'll just settle for an apple juice." I said and pouted.

"Aww. Well I'll make sure to drink your share of beer then." Jasper said and laughed.

We ordered the Bronx bomber pizza, spicy chicken sausage pizza, meatball sub, BBQ Turkey sandwich, and Fig's burger. It was almost time to board when we finished eating.

We quickly made our way to the boarding gate and boarded the plane. I was really exhausted and couldn't wait to sleep on the plane.

Unfortunately Kitty woke up when we boarded the plane. "I'll look after Kitty. Get some sleep." Edward said and sat Kitty on his lap.

"Thank you. That would be really awesome. I know I should decline your offer but I'm really exhausted and my back aches."

"Don't worry about it. You didn't get much sleep last night and you've been on your feet almost the whole day. You need to rest. I'll wake you up if I have any trouble with Kitty." Edward said and gave me a peck on my cheek.

I fell asleep really quickly and when I woke up two hours had passed since we took off. When I glanced over to Edward, both Kitty and Edward were peacefully asleep. I leaned further out of my seat and saw that Alice and Jasper were also asleep. In a little while I smelled food. I realized that our flight took off around 5 p.m. so we were being served dinner. The aroma of the food woke Edward, Jasper, and Alice up. I laughed that they woke up just over airline food.

"What are you laughing about?" Edward asked curiously.

"Well it was funny seeing all of you wake up over airline food. We all just ate a couple of hours ago. You guys aren't pregnant like I am."

"Due to my crazy hospital schedule I eat when I can so every time I smell food I think my body wakes up so that it doesn't miss the chance." Edward laughed.

The food was all right. Main dish was barbecued chicken. We didn't order children's meal on the flight back since it was an evening flight. I assumed that Kitty would be asleep so one of us could eat an extra adult meal instead of children's. Alice and I ended up sharing the extra meal. Edward and Jasper was full after they had too many glasses of wine.

"You and Jasper are really drunk. I think Alice and I should drive the cars back home."

"Oops. I forgot about the drive home from the airport." Edward looked worried.

"It's taken care of. I asked Rosalie and Emmett to come to the airport. We can have Rosalie drive Edward's car so that you don't need to drive Bella. I asked them to come because I have too many suitcases and boxes to fit in Jasper's car." Alice said and giggled.

"Good thinking Alice. I have to work early tomorrow morning so I guess I'll need Rosalie to drive my car to my place and have Emmett follow in his car." Edward sounded relieved.

"Well in this case I'm glad you bought too many things Alice. Otherwise you wouldn't have asked Rosalie and Emmett to come to the airport." I said and laughed.

"I'm going to catch a few more hours of sleep. Kitty will be wide awake when we land in LAX. I'm afraid she won't sleep tonight." I said and sighed.

"Well if that's the case, do you think you could give me a wake-up call at 6 a.m.?" Edward asked.

"Oh of course. Even if Kitty did sleep, she would be up at that time anyway." I said and smiled at Edward.

"Thanks. You're an angel. I was afraid I would sleep through my alarm clock tomorrow morning."

"I would offer you to stay at my place tonight but I assume you need to go home since you probably don't have the things you need for work tomorrow." I said to Edward.

"Unfortunately I do need to go home tonight. Will the offer still be good for Saturday night?" Edward winked.

***************

**A/N **

I'm sorry I took longer than usual to update. It was a 3 day weekend here in Tokyo so I wasn't home much.

I hope you enjoyed the last part of their New York trip.

**Please leave me a review! I value your comments and they help me write better and faster!**

Thank you!


	18. Chapter 18 Eight of Swords

**A/N**

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the wonderful reviews you've written for me and to thank all the people supporting my story. This story has been up for a month now since I published Chapter 1 on Sept. 16th, 2009 and in a month I've had close to 10,000 hits now! Thank you so much! You've all been amazing. If my best friend didn't encourage me to write this story it never would have happened and I just never expected so many of you to find my story interesting. If you could please take a moment and drop me 1 comment so that it would attract more readers it would really make my Chihuahua and I happy!

**Leave me a review, I'll reply with the ideas I have in store for the next few chapters!**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot.

**Chapter 18 Eight of Swords **

**Characters: Bella, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Kitty, Felix, Tommy, Emmett, and Rosalie**

**Bella POV **

It's been 3 days since we got back from New York and things are back to normal. Alice, Jasper and I were back at the boutique and photo studio since yesterday. Kitty started preschool yesterday as well. Fortunately I found a preschool with an extended program that was from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. so I had plenty of time for work and for myself. I worried for the past few months that Kitty only socialized with adults and didn't have a friend her own age. Kitty befriended someone yesterday, a little boy, his name was Tommy.

Tommy came from a similar circumstance as Kitty. He lost his mother last year and moved from San Francisco to LA 10 months ago. I met his father yesterday when I went to pick Kitty up. The father, Felix Banner, was a little eccentric. He was a landscape artist and painted murals in homes in California. He told me his studio was a block away from our boutique. He was tall, slim but muscular with long blond hair tied in a pony tail, and had deep blue eyes. He seemed a little too friendly but decided to brush it off for the sake of Kitty since she considered Tommy as her best friend.

Alice stepped out for her hair salon appointment and I needed to pack the items to ship our online orders so Jasper was up front in the store while I worked in the back. When I returned I saw Jasper in an animated conversation with Felix.

"Hey Bella! Look who's dropped by to see you. I didn't know you knew Felix. Felix teaches art at the high school Emmett coaches you know. I met him at Emmett's housewarming party." Jasper said excitedly.

"Oh, I didn't know. Kitty goes to preschool with his son." I replied to Jasper. I wasn't comfortable that Felix inched himself in so quickly.

"Santa Monica is a small community. It's probably impossible to not have a mutual acquaintance." Felix said and smiled at me.

I'm not sure why I felt so uncomfortable around Tommy's father. Jasper noticed my discomfort towards Felix and got me out of the situation. "Didn't you have to finish packing the shipment today?" Jasper asked me.

I was thankful Jasper was always sensitive to the air and feelings of people around him. "I do. I'd better get back to it. Nice to see you again Felix. I'll see you soon."

"You're not coming to pick your daughter up today?" Felix asked with a disappointed look.

Jasper spoke up before I did. "Bella's really busy today so I'm going to pick her up instead."

"Well, see you around then Bella and Jasper." Felix said and left the store.

"Care to explain to me what's up with you and Felix?" Jasper asked wiggling his eye brows.

"It's not like that. On the contrary it's the exact opposite. Kitty became friends with his son Tommy. I met Felix when I went to pick Kitty up yesterday. We chatted while Kitty and Tommy played. Felix was just too friendly and touchy-feely yesterday he gave me the creeps. Then I saw him here chatting with you. I don't know why but I can't relax around him." I explained to Jasper.

"He did seem a bit overly friendly. I just thought he was desperate to find a mommy replacement. He probably assumed you were a prime target since his son is friends with Kitty now. Hey, I have an idea. Why don't I invite him and his son to the barbecue on Saturday. Then he can meet Edward and maybe he'll drop his advances on you."

"I don't know. I have a feeling it would be better if he didn't know where I lived."

"Why are you so worried Bella? It's not like he'll harm you." Jasper laughed.

Alice stepped into the boutique before I could say something back to Jasper. I just had a bad feeling about the boy's father.

"Why the glum face?" Alice asked as she bounced into the boutique.

"Jasper suggested me to invite Kitty's friend and his single Dad to the barbecue on Saturday." I told Alice.

"Who's this?" Alice looked confused.

"Remember the art teacher we met at Emmett's housewarming? Well he turns out to be the father of Kitty's friend from preschool and seems to be making advances on Bella." Jasper explained to Alice.

"What's so bad about inviting him and his son?" Alice asked.

"He gives me the creeps." I blurted.

"I don't really remember him. If he was creepy I would've remembered. We're all going to be there. It'll be fun for Kitty and a little competition might be exactly what Edward needs." Alice said.

"You're right. I should do this for Kitty. Jazz, could you ask him today when you pick Kitty up then? But do you think you could invite him to your place? I don't want him coming to my place."

"No worries Bella. I'm sure Edward won't like it if he stepped into your place anyway. I'll let him know my apartment number so that he comes directly to my place." Jasper assured me.

**Edward POV **

I was busy all week and couldn't meet Bella and Kitty since we got back from New York. I called and texted Bella everyday but I missed them so much. Bella sent a text to me asking me if I wanted to spend the night at her place tonight instead of meeting Kitty and her tomorrow morning at the Farmers market. I got so used to sleeping with Bella beside me that I hadn't slept well at all this week so I decided to take her up on the offer although I didn't think I could make it to her place till after 11 p.m.

"Would 11 p.m. be too late to come over?" I texted back to her.

"NP. Call me when you pull into the parking lot so that you don't ring the door bell. Bring greasy food." Bella texted back to me.

I felt like jumping up and down with joy. I chuckled that she wanted me to bring greasy food. It must be one of those pregnant woman cravings.

When Eleazar saw me he teased me that I looked really happy and wanted to know why. I told him I hadn't seen Bella at all this week and that I was going over to Bella's after work. He then told me to take off and that he would cover for me. I normally wouldn't take such offer but I really wanted to see Bella as soon as I could so I accepted his offer with thanks.

I dashed to my car and made a quick stop at Fuddruckers. I ordered a Crazy for Chocolate and Very Berry Strawberry shake so that Bella could choose which ever one she was in the mood for and I could take the other. I got Dogzilla for Kitty to satiate her hotdog craving just in case she was still awake when I arrived at Bella's. I got 1 half pound burger with guacamole, bacon, and Monterey Jack and another half pound burger with swiss, cheddar, and grilled onions, rib eye steak sandwich, chicken fingers, wedge cut fries and onion rings. I was sure Bella would be happy when she saw all this.

It was still early but I called Bella instead of ringing her door bell. "Hey beautiful. I'm in the parking lot now," I said to Bella.

"Well hurry up and get up here." Bella giggled.

I ran up as quickly as I could and saw Alice on the way up on Jasper's floor. "What's the rush brother?" Alice laughed.

"Hi. Bye. No time for you right now. Bella's waiting." I said to Alice and ran up one more flight of stairs.

Alice thought it was funny and followed me up the stairs.

Bella waited for me outside the door. She looked surprised when she saw me and Alice trailing behind me. "Hi Edward. Hi Alice. Didn't know you were joining us Alice." Bella giggled.

"She's not." I said and turned around and glared at the Pixie.

"SHE IS!" Alice shouted and pushed her way into Bella's door before I could drag her out.

"Get out Dobby. We have no use for a house-elf. Go back to Master Jasper." I said to Alice.

"Jazzy can wait. I'm hungry. You have a lot of food. I won't leave till you guys feed me." Alice said and pouted.

Bella looked really amused and laughed. "Come on Edward. Play nice. Alice can join us. I'm sure you bought plenty of food for the three of us. Kitty's asleep."

"Well I'm not sharing my milkshake." I teased.

"Stop being stingy. Bella, don't you know that you're not supposed to feed him at night? No water either. Otherwise you're going to end up with a whole bunch of Gremwards."

"Go take it outside kids. I'm starved. I'm having the chocolate shake. You two can decide who gets the strawberry one." Bella laughed and cut up the burgers and hotdog into portions so that we could all share.

While we ate there was a knock on the door. I got up to answer the door.

"Hey Jasper, are you here to collect Dobby?" I saw Jasper crack up.

"I heard that!" Alice shouted from the living room.

"Did you bring anything for me?" Bella shouted and laughed.

"Err I brought food? I hope it was a good idea." Jasper laughed.

Alice and I were pretty smashed from the beers we chugged. Bella was on a sugar high.

"What did you bring?" Alice smiled and asked Jasper.

"Well I was right by Hot Dog on a Stick so I got you guys some. I also got cheese on a stick too." Jasper said and smiled.

"Oh I love you Jasper." Bella said and kissed him on his head.

I'm not sure why I felt jealous towards Jasper. Bella must have noticed my jealousy. She quickly wrapped her arms around my neck and whispered into my ear. "But I love you the most."

The evening went on with more teasing and laughing. I was surprised we didn't wake Kitty up. Jasper, Alice and I were quite drunk and Bella fell asleep while she leaned on me. Jasper noticed Bella was asleep so he tapped Alice and signaled her that it was time to leave.

"Thanks for the food. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Give us a call after you guys come back from Farmers market so we can help prepare the food." Alice whispered and they left the apartment.

I cleaned up the mess we made and carried Bella to the bedroom. Bella was fast asleep and didn't even stir when I carried her. She was dressed in her yoga pants and a T shirt. I assumed she would be comfortable enough so I didn't change her into her pajamas. I took my shirt and pants off and slid in beside her in just my boxers. I felt bummed that Bella wasn't awake but I wasn't desperate enough to wake her up. I turned the lights off and hoped that tomorrow night I could continue where I left off in New York.

I was so exhausted. Bella felt so warm that I relaxed and drifted to sleep instantly.

**Bella POV **

I woke up feeling a ton of weight on me. Edward's arm and his leg were wrapped around me. I tried to recall events from last night but couldn't remember how I got into bed. I reached for Edward's hand and gently played with his fingers. Edward stirred and held me tighter.

"Mommy, Mommy," Kitty ran into the room and jumped onto my bed. She looked surprised when she saw Edward asleep beside me. "Edward!" She shouted and hugged him.

Edward woke up and cleared his throat. "Good morning my beautiful princess," he said but struggled to open his eyes.

"Kitty, go and brush your teeth. I'll come and help you in a minute." I said to Kitty and sent her to the bathroom.

I took Edward's hand and shook it lightly. "Edward, I need to get up. Would you please take your leg off of me?"

"Mmmm. I don't want to move. Let's stay in bed all day." He said and nibbled on my neck.

"We have a hungry 3 year old waiting for breakfast. In about 10 seconds I'm quite sure she's going to come back and throw herself on us. You might want to cover yourself cuz she might kick you right here." I stretched my arm behind me and cupped him where his boxer shorts strained.

Edward gasped and grabbed my hand off his erection. "Bellaaaa. That's mean. Don't start what you can't finish."

"Get up then. I'm gonna have an accident if you don't move and let me go to the bathroom."

"All right. All right. I'll check on Kitty and make some coffee. You go to the bathroom." Edward said and got up.

I showered quickly and tied my hair into a ponytail. When I got out of the bathroom my phone rang. I checked the caller ID and saw that it was Emmett.

"Good morning Emmett. What's got you up so early this Saturday morning?"

"Hi, Bella. I heard you guys are off to Farmers market this morning and thought Rose and I'd join you guys. You guys probably could use extra pairs of hands to carry the groceries and Rose wants to eat the Gumbo there."

"Oh, of course! We'd love to have you guys join us. Kitty would be thrilled to meet you and Rose. Let's see. How about we meet you guys at the parking lot at 9 a.m?"

"Should I pick my lil brother up on the way?" Emmett asked.

"Errm he's actually here so we'll meet you guys there." I replied hesitantly knowing he would tease us all day over the fact that Edward stayed overnight.

"Shuddup! You guys are doing the nasty now? Oh my goat! Rose! Bella and Edward are doing the nasty now!" Emmett shouted to Rosalie. Soon after he yelled I heard a loud slapping sound and Emmett screaming the word "ouch". I assumed Rosalie slapped Emmett somewhere on his body, most likely his head for being vulgar.

"Emmett! Whatever Edward and I are doing or not doing is our business and not yours!"

Edward came behind me and looked confused. "It's Emmett on the phone and he's teasing me." I explained to Edward and handed him the phone.

"Emmett, stop teasing Bella. It's too early to deal with your jokes… Oh you guys are joining us? Sounds good… All right, I'll see you guys there then. Bye!" Edward said and gave me back my phone.

Edward went to shower and I sat Kitty at the breakfast bar. "Uncle Em and Auntie Rose are coming to see us at the Farmers market." I said to Kitty.

Edward came out of the bathroom showered and dressed. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yeah. Oh, but I wanted to talk to you about something before we go. Ummm. If you're not too busy, would you come with me to my ultra-sound on Tuesday? I get to find out the sex of the baby. It would make me really happy if you could be there with me but I totally understand if you wouldn't want to come." I suddenly felt very insecure and regretted asking him to come with me to the ultra-sound. I looked down at my feet as I couldn't look into his eyes from fear of rejection.

"Bella, I would be honored to accompany you to your ultra-sound. I don't even know how to express how elated I am right now that you included me to share such a private moment with you." Edward hugged me tight and kissed me on the lips. I felt so relieved that he didn't find it awkward to come with me to the ultra-sound.

"Thank you Edward. It means a lot to me." I said and kissed him back on his lips. Kitty watched us kissing and crawled on the counter to include her in our embrace.

Edward picked Kitty up and kissed her on her nose. "We probably should get going." Edward said and grabbed his keys.

**Rosalie POV **

Emmett and I arrived at Farmers market a bit too early. We stood outside the car and waited for Edward, Bella, and Kitty. "Do you really think Edward and Bella are sleeping together now?" I asked Emmett.

"Why wouldn't they. They've been together for months now. I'm sure they've done the deed in New York for sure. Come on they even sent us souvenir together. He's even spending nights at Bella's."

"I don't know. It doesn't mean they are sleeping together. It's Edward we're talking about. The commitment-phobe!"

"I don't think he's a commitment-phobe. He finally found what he was looking for in Bella. I think he's serious this time. He'd better be." Emmett huffed.

"For the sake of Kitty and the baby I hope he's serious. It will destroy Bella if he does what he did to Tanya. Kitty is so attached to him now too."

"You're good at observing people. I'm sure once you see them together today you'll know." Emmett said and I nodded. Then I spotted Edward's Volvo pull into the parking space across from us. Emmett and I walked to Edward's car.

"Hey, Munchkin! How have you been?" Emmett picked Kitty up and gave her a slobbery kiss on her cheek.

While we waited for Bella to get Kitty's stroller out of Edward's car, Emmett received a call.

"Hey Felix. …Yeah I heard from Jasper. Didn't know your kid knew our munchkin... Directions? You got the address right? …Drive east on Ocean Avenue and take a right when you hit Pico towards Ocean Front Walk. It's on Ocean Way. It's a yellow and white 3 story complex. Give me a call if you can't find it." Emmet explained to Felix. When I looked across from me Edward looked confused.

"Oh I'm sorry Edward. I didn't get around to telling you last night. Kitty has a friend now at preschool. His name is Tommy. The boy's father works with Emmett at the high school. We invited the boy and his father to the barbecue." Bella explained.

"Emmett, how much do you know about Felix Banner?" Bella asked.

"Why? Something wrong?" I jumped in and asked Bella.

"I'm just going on my instinct. The boy's father is really touchy-feely and really forward. I just met him and his boy but his father already showed up at the boutique yesterday. Jasper thinks he's probably just desperate to find his son a mommy." Bella frowned.

"To be honest, I don't know him that well. He's a brilliant artist though. Rosie helped him out a bit. She referred him to some of her clients at the spa to paint murals in their homes. He lives with his son and his sister, Jane. Well, if he bothers you just let me know." Emmett explained to Bella. She seemed satisfied with Emmett's explanation but Edward's expression on his face was hard.

"Don't worry about it. I guess I'm just not used to men making advances at me." Bella shrugged.

"I'm sure he'll catch on quick that you're not available once he sees Edward draped all over you." I said and giggled. I glanced at Edward and saw jealousy in his eyes.

"Well kids. Let's go get some grub. I'm hungry. We can get the meats and the produce after we eat." Emmett said and rubbed his stomach.

We went to The Gumbo Pot. I was in the mood for some spicy food and awesome gumbo. We ordered the Gumbo Ya Ya that had the spicy chicken and shrimp and andouille sausage. Jambalaya, boiled crawfish, drunken shrimp, Sesame ginger noodle salad, alligator tail filet, Cajun BBQ meatloaf po'boy, Blackened chicken po'boy, and beignets. Most of the food came with sides so we chose corn bread, creole mustard potato salad, sweet potato salad, collard greens, rice and beans, and sweet potato chips.

We all sat down and Emmett teased Kitty with the alligator tail. Edward's mood had not changed and Emmett teasing Kitty upset him.

"Emmett, she's saying she doesn't want to eat it so lay off." Edward scowled.

"Whoa dude. Take a chill pill. We're just playin." Emmett said to Edward.

"She's only three. Don't teach her to play with food." Edward said.

Bella sighed and rubbed circles on Edward's back. I felt bad for Bella but I was excited to see what was going to happen between Edward and Felix today at the barbecue. Edward's pent up sexual frustration and insecurity confirmed my assumption that he hadn't slept with Bella yet. I chuckled silently. Today turned out to be much better than I expected!

***************

**A/N**

So the ultra sound is coming up. Please leave a comment and let me know if it should be a girl or if it should be a boy. I'm sure Bella doesn't care if it's a boy or a girl as long as the baby is healthy. But what about Edward? Should the baby be a girl and be a daddy's girl? Would Edward want a son to be his own flesh and blood and not Stephen's? Help me peeps which should it be? Which do you think would make the story more interesting?

I've introduced Felix into the story so that I could have the option of making him a nice guy or a dark guy. My Edward's been a little too soft till now so I thought I'd bring out the green-eyed monster in him!

Thanks for reading my story and please leave me a feedback!


	19. Chapter 19 Eight of Swords Part 2

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot.

Locations and some items mentioned in this chapter are on my profile.

**Chapter 19 Eight of Swords Part 2**

**Characters Edward, Bella, Kitty, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Felix, and Tommy**

**Edward POV **

We got back from Farmers market with chicken, shrimps, steaks, hamburger patties, sausages, ribs and fresh vegetables. We had the sauce we bought in New York at Virgil's. Emmett volunteered to be in charge of the grill. Alice and Jasper were busy preparing the tables and chairs. We didn't want Bella to be on her feet too long so we made her in charge of drinks and sat her by the coolers near the grill.

"Kitty, Kitty!"I heard a little boy shout and he ran into the patio holding 2 large boxes and a man dressed in a white button down and jeans with his hair tied back in a pony tail trailed behind him. I assumed the boy was Tommy and Felix his father.

"Hey Emmett. Hi Bella." Felix said as he approached us by the grill.

"These are for Kitty." Felix said and handed Bella an arrangement made of fruit.

"Perfect! I love edible arrangements. Oh and they are Disney princess arrangements. Come here Kitty. Look what Tommy's Daddy got you." Alice said called Kitty.

Kitty ran and stood beside Alice. "Thank you Tommy's Daddy."

Tommy dashed over to Bella and gave her the boxes he held. "These are for you." The little boy said and clung onto Bella's legs after he handed her the boxes. .

"Oh, thank you Tommy. Are they cupcakes?" Bella smiled and asked the boy.

"Yeah, we got lots and lots of cupcakes. Kitty said you liked cupcakes."

"That was really thoughtful of you Tommy. Thank you for remembering." Bella said and smiled at Tommy.

"Ooooh look, they are Mrs. Beasley's cupcakes. Colossals and Poppers! Did you know the Poppers are only roughly 100 calories each? They are so popular amongst the celebrity here. Hey Alice we should order Kitty's birthday cake from Mrs. Beasley's," Rosalie said and her eyes twinkled over the cupcakes.

"There's actually some macarons in the car. I couldn't hold them so they're still in the car. I stopped by Paulette's in Beverly Hills before we came here." Felix said and returned to his car.

"Did you hear that Rosalie? He even went to Paulette's! Dang, that guy knows sweets."

Alice beamed.

I didn't like that Felix quickly won the approval of our women. They oohed and gahed over the fruits and sweets. I felt like crap I didn't do something special for Bella and gave the jerk a chance to outshine me.

Emmett came and stood by me. "Lil bro, he's a bigger competition than I originally thought." He said and laughed.

"Eh, Bella won't be swayed with just sweets. Nice gesture though. If he wasn't after my woman, I would have given him thumbs up." I said to Emmett but I was determined to stay beside Bella the whole day so that I could swat the jerk away.

"Edward, sit with me." Kitty said and pulled me to the table. Kitty's action caused an upset to the seating arrangement planned by Alice. There was only one seat left for Bella to sit and it was beside Felix since Tommy sat beside Kitty. I was actually surprised by Kitty's action today. She enjoyed sitting with me but was never this clingy. I felt the need to keep a close eye on Kitty today as well. Something felt off with Kitty. I wasn't sure what it was yet. I had an inkling thought that the clinginess was the result of Kitty's jealousy over Tommy having a father.

"I'm gonna go and help cut the food so that it's easier for the kids to eat." Bella said to Felix and got up. I got up so that she could have my seat and I went to stand by the grill. I was sure I saw Felix scowl for a second before he slapped on a fake smile.

After we finished eating, the children started to get restless from boredom. "We should move on to desserts." I suggested.

"Oh, of course." Alice said and got up. She quickly brought the edible arrangement, cupcakes, and macarons Felix brought and gelato from Angelato's Café that Alice brought.

"What flavor did you get from Angelato's?" Rosalie asked.

"I got Apple pie, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Tiramisu, Pannacotta, and Peaches and Cream." Alice answered.

After we had desserts Tommy and Kitty went to play in the portable sandbox Emmett built for Kitty. Rosalie even purchased Safe Sand which didn't contain crystalline silica for Kitty's safety. We placed the sandbox near the table so that we could all keep an eye on the kids. Rosalie, Alice, and Bella got up and sat with the kids at the sandbox.

Once the ladies left the table Felix leaned over to Emmett. "I was just curious, is Bella seeing anyone?" Felix asked Emmett. Beside me Jasper gagged the beer he just chugged and Emmett spit out the strawberry he had in his mouth and laughed. I was the only one who didn't find any humor in his question. I was damn sure Felix knew about Bella and me and but only asked the question to get a rise out of me.

"Dude, are you freakin serious?" Emmett laughed.

"Why? What's so funny?" Felix asked and smirked.

At that moment I wished I could snap that pompous clown's neck. The asshat needed to be reined in. He's gone too far. I remained cool and composed so that I wouldn't give him an inch of satisfaction for ruffling the feathers.

"Sorry to burst your little bubble but she's taken." Emmett laughed and patted his back.

"I don't see a wedding ring or an engagement ring on her." Felix said.

"My Alice doesn't have a ring but she's taken." Jasper retorted. Under the table I saw Jasper's fist gone white and trembled. He really pissed Jasper off with that statement.

"Well maybe you should watch out. I say all women are fair game till they have a ring on their finger." Felix said and earned a death glare from Jasper.

"Bella's with my brother. I don't care about your messed up definition. Women aren't property. What you're saying is the equivalent of pissing and marking them. You're not going to get very far with women with that kind of attitude," Emmett said.

I was surprised to see this serious side of Emmett. I hadn't seen it in a while. The last time he said something this serious was when he came to my place months ago to make sure that I was serious about Bella.

Before we could put Felix in his place after being so rude, we all heard ruckus from behind us and I turned around to see what was up with the kids.

"He's not your Daddy. You don't have a Daddy." Tommy yelled to Kitty.

"Edward is my Daddy. " Kitty was in tears.

"Your Daddy is dead. You don't have a Daddy." Tommy yelled again.

Like father, like son. The son now pissed the ladies off like the father pissed us guys off.

Rosalie scooped Kitty up into her arms and moved her away from Tommy. Kitty laid her head on Rosalie's chest and sobbed. Rosalie sent daggers with her eyes towards Felix.

"I'm so sorry. Please excuse my son. I will talk to him and make sure he won't ever do that again." Felix said to Bella and acted like a gentleman. He sure wasn't going to fool any of us guys now. My Bella was too kind though.

"It's okay Felix. I'm sure Tommy didn't mean to hurt Kitty. They just don't have enough vocabulary yet to properly communicate their feelings about things. I'm sure they'll be back to friends tomorrow." Bella said to Felix.

"Thank you so much for inviting us today and I'm really sorry we ruined your BBQ." Felix said and hugged Bella a little too tight and I didn't like that his hands glided up and down her back. Felix tilted his head and whispered something into Bella's ear.

I couldn't hear what he said to her but Bella looked like a deer in the headlights. I noticed that she was chewing on her lips. It was a habit of hers that came out when she was uncomfortable. "Tommy, I'm going to pack some food and sweets for you to take home okay. Come with me so that you can choose what you want to take home." She took Tommy's hand and rushed to the table as if she couldn't get away from Felix fast enough.

Felix thanked Bella and said goodbye and left with Tommy.

Bella looked angry and sat down with Emmett beside her. They seemed to be in a conversation about Felix but I couldn't hear them. I wanted to go sit with them so that I could ask Bella what Felix said to her but was stopped by Alice.

"I can guess that you want to know what Felix said to Bella. I'll ask her later and let you know if she doesn't share it with you tonight. Maybe she's telling Emmett right now. I'm sure Rosalie can find out from Emmett as well. Just don't go asking her now. It's just going to make you look insecure." Alice said to me.

Rosalie had Kitty on her lap but she still seethed. I went and sat beside Rosalie and rubbed her back to calm her down. "I don't think we should socialize with that father and son. There's something very disturbing about that man. I don't want Bella near the father anymore. I'll talk to Emmett tonight and let you guys know what they're talking about right now." Rosalie said to Alice and me.

"I think I'm in agreement with Rosalie. Let's try to keep Bella away from Felix. There is something seriously wrong with that guy." Jasper said and grimaced.

"Thanks Jasper. Let's keep it between us though. Bella will be upset if we dictate who she can see and who she can't. If she finds out we're trying to keep her away from Felix she will go ballistic. She can't stand unsolicited action," I said.

Alice chuckled. "I can't agree with you more. Bella gone ballistic --not something I want to see. Jasper and I'll find reasons to keep Bella at the boutique and we'll pick Kitty up from preschool instead. That way she'll have less chance of running into Felix. I almost got fooled by the food. "

I chuckled at Alice's revelation. I was glad Alice saw through Felix finally.

I glanced over to Bella and Emmett and relief coursed through me. They were both eating burgers like nothing happened 10 minutes ago. I laughed but Rosalie scowled after she witnessed the two of them laughing and eating. Bella always did something unpredictable. I wished I could see what went on in her pretty head. I laughed again when I saw that Kitty reached over to the table and shoved a hotdog in her mouth. Apple didn't fall far from the tree. The Swan women definitely had tough skin.

It got a little chilly and Kitty fell asleep on Rosalie's lap so Alice suggested to Bella that we return to her place.

"Give me a call so that I can help you guys clean up." I said to Jasper and Alice.

"No worries. We got it. Take some food up. Bella might get hungry later." Alice chuckled.

I packed some food along with cupcakes and macarons and handed the food to Bella. I carried Kitty and we headed back to her apartment.

Bella settled on the couch and I went and tucked Kitty in her bed. I sat beside Bella on the couch and laid her legs on my lap to rub her feet.

"I think I might look into finding another preschool." Bella sighed.

"Does it have something to do with Felix?" I asked Bella although I was sure that was the reason.

"I'm not sure if Felix was trying to be funny but he made me feel really uncomfortable. Do you know what he said to me just before he left? He said, 'Thanks for the BBQ, come to my place for dinner next time and bring yourself as dessert.'"

I wished I got a punch or three into him before he left. I definitely needed to make sure to keep Felix as far away from Bella and Kitty as possible. "Maybe we should look into finding a nanny for Kitty for a few months. If Felix comes around to the boutique to ask you why you discontinued sending Kitty to preschool you could say that it became inconvenient so you hired a nanny instead." I suggested to Bella.

"That sounds like a really great idea. I'm not sure where to start looking though."

"I could ask around at the pediatric clinic. I'm sure with all those mothers there I could find a good lead for you." I said to Bella.

"Thank you Edward. I really appreciate it." Bella said and smiled.

I needed to change the subject quick. I didn't want Bella to dwell on the horrible experience with Felix. I decided that the topic of the upcoming ultrasound might brighten her mood.

"Soooo, are you going to find out the sex of the baby? Have you thought about baby names?" I asked Bella.

"I don't really need to know but Alice begged me to find out. I have a few names in mind. One name in particular. I want a middle name with a variant of the name Alice. I wouldn't be where I am right now without Alice. She's always been there for me since I was a junior in high school. I wouldn't have met Stephen if it weren't for Alice. I wouldn't even be here if she didn't convince me to move back to LA. I wouldn't have met you if it weren't for Alice. I'm thinking if I have a girl I want her middle name to be Alicia and if it's a boy I want his middle name to be Alistair." Bella said and smiled.

"Wow, Alice would be so thrilled. I assume you haven't told her because if you had she would have been talking non-stop about it." I said to Bella.

"I thought I'd tell her after the ultrasound when I find out if it's a boy or a girl. She has bugged me the past few weeks she needed to know the sex of the baby so that she could start shopping for appropriate colors." Bella giggled.

"What do you have in mind for their first names?"

"Sarah for a girl. I can't really decide on the boy names. I thought of David, Lucas, Matthew, and Evan."

"Do you know the meaning behind those names?" I asked.

"Sarah means princess. You keep calling Kitty your princess so that sort of stuck in my mind. David means beloved, Lucas means bringer of light, Matthew means gift of God, and Evan means God is gracious." Bella said and smiled.

"I like the name Sarah and I like the names Matthew and David. This baby is definitely a gift and beloved." I said and Bella smiled.

"If you were to choose between Matthew and David, which would you choose?"

"I'm not religious but I believe that this baby is definitely a gift, the baby survived all the stress you endured. The name Matthew would be a reminder to all of us how precious he is." I said to Bella.

"Matthew it is then." Bella said and smiled.

"Bella, you should decide and not be influenced by my opinion."

"Your opinion is important to me, and you chose from my selection." She said and smiled.

**Bella POV **

I met Edward at the clinic. He was already in the waiting room when I arrived. He got up and hugged me tight. "Hello beautiful. I thought you abandoned me," he said to me and kissed me on my cheek. We were at the clinic where Carmen worked. Carlisle convinced me to change doctors and I now saw Carmen. Since Carlisle couldn't help deliver this baby he made sure that the baby was going to be delivered by someone he trusted.

"Hi Bella. Hi Edward." Carmen came in and greeted us. "I'll prep Bella and call you in when we're ready." Carmen said to Edward.

Once we were ready Carmen had her assistant bring Edward in. "So, are we ready to see the baby? Did you want to know the sex of the baby?" Carmen asked.

"I don't really care but want Alice wants to know and I promised her I'll find out today." Carmen and Edward laughed.

Carmen applied the conducting gel on me and placed the transducer on my abdomen. "Okay the baby's position is good, size of baby is good, growing at a good rate, okay ready to know the sex of the baby? Have you thought of baby names?"

"I'm thinking Matthew Alistair for a boy and Sarah Alicia for a girl." I replied to Carmen.

Edward held my hand and stood beside me. "You should probably explain to her why you chose those names." He said and smiled.

"Well the name Alicia and Alistair is a variant of Alice. I wanted to include her name. We chose Matthew because it means gift from God. Sarah means princess." Carmen smiled.

"Have you told Alice?" Carmen asked.

"I haven't yet. I thought I'd tell her after I found out the sex of the baby."

"All right. Here we go. Please welcome Matthew Alistair." Carmen said and Edward squeezed my hand lightly.

"Oh yeah. I see it. He's definitely a boy." Edward said and pointed on the screen.

"You'll receive the printouts before you leave and you'll receive Teddy before Christmas." Carmen told me.

"Teddy?" Edward asked.

"We offer a little something special here. We record the baby's heart and put the recording in a teddy bear. When you push the tummy of the teddy bear you hear the heart beat recording." Carmen explained to Edward.

"Wow that's a really awesome keepsake." Edward looked amazed.

"Carmen, I need three teddy bears. I want to give one to Esme and Alice." I said.

"Make it five. I want one and don't forget Rosalie." Edward said and smiled.

"Oh you're right. Thank you for letting me escape Rosalie's wrath." I said and chuckled.

Carmen chuckled. "See you soon. Don't forget to call in again to schedule the next appointment. Take care you two." Carmen said and we said our goodbyes.

Edward thought it would be nice to take Alice and Jasper to dinner with us tonight to celebrate. It worked perfectly since Rosalie and Emmett was watching Kitty for us. Emmett wanted to go Universal Studios Citywalk with Kitty. He wanted Kitty to try the iFly. I was incredibly nervous about it but Emmett assured me it was safe. There was no way I could watch my child fly in a column of air so I let them take her without me. I hadn't told Edward because I knew he would freak out and stop Emmett.

Edward booked a table for us at Café La Boheme in West Hollywood. The restaurant was gorgeous with chandeliers and fireplace. Alice told me they renovated the restaurant 2 years ago while I was in Chicago. We ordered the Vegetable spring rolls, steamed mussels, and Maryland crab cakes to share for appetizers.

"So Bella. Tell me about the ultrasound. I'm so excited!" Alice squealed.

"Let's order our main course before that." Edward said to Alice.

"I'm too excited to think right now. Would you select something for me Jazzy?" Jasper chuckled.

"How about ordering the Lobster Saffron Risotto darling?" Jasper suggested.

"Sounds good. So was it a boy or a girl?" Alice insisted on finding out.

"Alice, just wait till we all decide on what we're getting." Edward scowled at Alice.

"Well hurry up and decide then for crying out loud. I'm going to tell Edward where Kitty is tonight if you don't tell me." Alice growled.

"Alice!" I glared at Alice.

"Do you have something to tell me, Bella?" Edward eyed me suspiciously.

"I'll tell you later. Let's just finish ordering." I said to Edward.

"All right then. Bella, would you like the mushroom ravioli? I could order some meat dish and we could share the two?" Edward suggested.

"That sounds perfect. What entrée will you choose?" I asked Edward.

"I'm thinking the Rocky Chicken Breast. It comes with warm potato bacon salad and lemon basil garlic sauce for the chicken. We could add a side of four cheese mac and cheese. Something Kitty would've loved to eat if she was here." Edward emphasized on the name Kitty reinforcing that he hadn't forgotten that I was to tell him where she was.

"Oh that sounds really good. What are you getting Jasper?" I asked Jasper and tried to shift the subject away from Kitty.

"I think I want the Berkshire Pork chop with spicy fries, sautéed spinach, and grilled asparagus on the sides."

"Good choice. Let's get a server here so we can hurry up and order." Alice said and bounced in her chair.

"Calm down Alice. Bouncing up and down isn't going to accomplish anything. I'll force Bella to not tell you until desserts if you don't settle down. She needs to tell me where Kitty is before she tells you the sex of the baby." Edward said to Alice and earned a glare from her.

"It's all right. If we don't tell her now she's going to bug all of us throughout the meal. Alice, the baby is a boy!"

Her squeal was so loud people around us glared at us. I felt myself turn crimson.

"Blue. Blue. Blue. I've got to start shopping for blue things from tomorrow." Alice looked so excited I felt sorry for Jasper. She probably was going to be hyper all night.

"I have more to tell you. Edward and I decided on the baby name." I said to Alice and Edward gave me the warmest smile I had ever seen on him.

"Oh hurry up and tell me. Tell me. Tell me!" Alice squealed again.

"We are naming the baby Matthew Alistair." I said.

"Alistair?" Jasper asked me.

"Boy version of Alice." I said and heard another squeal from Alice. There was no stopping her tonight. I really wanted to hurry up and eat so that we could get out of the restaurant.

"Now Alice knows about the baby. Please tell me where Kitty is. I'm so on the edge there is no way I can eat unless you tell me where she is." Edward said and I saw worry on his face.

"Come on Bella. It's no big deal. Edward, Kitty is with Emmett at iFly at Universal Studios Citywalk." Alice said to Edward.

"What's an iFly?" Edward looked confused.

Jasper chuckled and showed him something on his cell phone. Edward gasped and death glared me. "What? What is it?" I asked Edward.

"You failed to mention to me that you were letting my brother risk Kitty an injury from flying in the air like this?" Edward said and showed me Jasper's phone. On the phone was a picture Emmett sent to Jasper with Kitty soaring in the air column.

"Edward, I'm sure it's not a big deal. Look at the picture. Kitty looks like she died and went to heaven." Jasper said and immediately looked apologetic for the distaste in the words he chose.

"Oh stop overreacting. It's just an amusement park ride. I'm sure it's perfectly safe. Stop being a buzz kill. You're ruining my moment." I was thankful that Alice reined Edward in.

"I'm sorry Bella. It just freaked me out that we weren't there. If I was there at least if anything happened I could've treated her immediately." Edward looked very apologetic.

"Please don't apologize. It's me who needs to apologize for keeping this from you. I didn't think you'd approve. Even I was not even sure if I wanted her to try it." I said to Edward.

"Do you want a copy of this picture?" Jasper held up his phone and chuckled. He quickly earned a death glare from Edward.

When our server came to our table Alice got up and bounced with our server. "They're having a baby boy! A baby boy!" She squealed again.

People around us heard her and clapped and congratulated us. One of the lady asked Edward if the boy was going to be our first born son. I saw Edward blush and nod. I felt nervous. I wasn't sure how he felt about being treated as the father of my baby by the strangers around us. He looked happy but I wasn't sure if it was for my sake and the people around our table.

My face was on fire. I couldn't wait to get out of the restaurant but when Edward asked if I wanted any dessert I couldn't resist. I hated my pregnant woman cravings at that moment.

"Which one do you want?" Edward asked.

"I can't decide between Darcy's Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee, and Butterscotch Pudding Parfait." I replied.

"Let's order all three of those. I'm sure Jasper and Alice can help." Edward suggested.

"Sounds good." Jasper chimed in.

On our ride back to the apartment I decided to ask Edward if he was really okay after being treated as if he was the father of my baby. "Edward, does it make you uncomfortable when people assume you're the father of the baby like the people in the restaurant did? Please answer me honestly. You wouldn't hurt my feelings."

"Bella, I love you. I love you, Kitty, and the baby. The whole package. I'm going to need you to be patient because I don't know the first thing about being a parent. I don't even have a niece or a nephew. This is the first time I'm spending time with a child outside a hospital environment. It makes my heart warm when people think that I'm the father of the baby. If you're not uncomfortable with it I'm more than happy being referred to as the father." Edward smiled lovingly.

I was stunned at his answer. I thought he would just say that he's fine or not. I didn't expect him to tell me how he felt about Kitty and the baby. I felt his love surrounding me.

"Bella? Bella? Have I scared you? Have I said too much?" Edward looked worried. I didn't realize I was caught in the moment.

"I'm not scared. I'm sorry for worrying you. I was… I was… I can't find words to express how I'm feeling right now. I feel surrounded by your love for me and Kitty and the baby. I haven't felt like this in a long time. I love you Edward. How did I get so lucky?"

"I ask myself that every day." Edward smiled and kissed my hand. "I really want to kiss you right now and toss you in the back seat and make out like teenagers but I imagine the backseat of my car is probably going to be very uncomfortable for you." Edward giggled. He looked so giddy I couldn't help but smile.

***************

**A/N**

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I toyed with the barbecue plot for almost a week. I originally had physical abuse from Felix to Tommy but scrapped it and felt it would be wrong to have it in my story even though it's fiction. I kept scrapping what I wrote and finally came up with what I have here.

Did you like the baby name? I went through a lot of baby names trying to decide on it. I noticed a lot of characters from the show "One Tree Hill "were on the top 100 baby names of last year. Maybe this year we'll see some Twilight characters in the top 100 baby names?

Please accept my apology for the people who suggested a baby girl. It seemed there were more people who thought a boy would be better.

**I'm getting close to 100 reviews. Please please leave me a review so that I can hit the 100 mark with this chapter!**

Thank you for all of your support. You guys have been so great to me!


	20. Chapter 20 The Star

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

As with previous chapters some of the places and items mentioned in this chapter are on my profile under Chapter 20.

**I just wanted to thank Scarletappy, pac1025, angelbaby696, LaurieS31, njdevil30718, Twifan1986, Madison Elliott, cullened, vampyregurl09, pmbv11, and Flora73 for the review you left me that helped me achieve my goal of reaching 100 reviews. Thanks so much! **

**Chapter 20 The Star **

**Characters: Alice, Esme, Edward, Bella, and Jasper**

**Alice POV **

"Hi Mom. We need to compare notes. You'll be here tomorrow right?"

"Yes dear. What do you mean compare notes?"

"Well how much did Edward tell you? Is he still planning to ask Bella to move in to his place after the baby is born?"

"Edward told me he plans to ask her soon. He said he confirmed with Jasper that Bella needs to give notice in July if she plans to end the lease. He thinks it would be too much for Bella to go through the hassle of moving before the baby is born."

"But Mom, it's going to take a few months to get the nursery set up at his place. I want the nursery done before the baby shower."

"Oh, you're planning on a baby shower? The baby isn't Bella's first born though." Mom said to me.

"I know but who cares about etiquette. It'll just be family. Plus the baby will be Edward's first. If you know what I mean." I giggled.

"I guess you could say the baby is Edward's first. He's been with her since the time she found out she was pregnant. Even goes to ultrasound with her. I'm sure he's planning to be there when she goes into labor. He probably thinks of the baby as his own and I'm proud of him." Mom said.

"So just in case the baby comes early, the nursery should be done by beginning of April. That means we need to start decorating in February. He should ask Bella to move in with her on Valentine's Day. That would be so romantic although it gives us less time to get things done. We should start looking into things and find out if there's anything we need to order 2 months in advance or more and go ahead and order those. Does that sound good Mom?"

"It's up to Edward when he wants to ask Bella to move in. You can't plan that for him dear. First things first though. Where should we go and what do we need to purchase for Edward's place to make it comfortable for Bella."

"Well I'm thinking our first stop would be Yves Delorme. We can get bedding, towels, table cloth, and napkins there. Then after that we can go to Mis en Demeure. They have an online catalogue so you should look at it tonight. We need mirrors, coffee table, lamp, floor lamps, sconces, candlesticks and bathroom accessories."

"Edward doesn't cook so I would imagine he is lacking the most in the kitchen department. I'm thinking Bella might like some things from Williams Sonoma or Bed Bath and Beyond." Mom said.

"That sounds good. Oh Mom, there is a place called Candle Light And Inc. that I'd like to go and get candles. President Obama's white house designer Michael S. Smith and a whole bunch of A list people go there for the candles you know."

"Oh, that sounds interesting. I'd like to purchase some candles for myself there too then."

"I wonder if Edward would want some nice plates for Bella from Tiffany's." I said to Mom.

"We need to keep Bella in mind dear. I'm sure Bella would love to buy some things together with Edward too. Carlisle and I gave her the Villeroy and Boch French Garden dinnerware set for their wedding present. For housewarming this time when she moved back to LA I gave her Wedgwood Notting Hill dinnerware set so I don't think Bella would need another set of fine china. I think they're going to need casual dinnerware. Let's both see what Edward has at his place before we start shopping because once Bella moves in there will be plenty of fine dinnerware. I'd like to take Edward along with us so that he could tell Bella he selected some of the items himself. Is there a Bed Bath and Beyond nearby?" Mom asked.

"Yeah. There's one in Westwood we could go to. Do you have something specific in mind?

"Well I'm thinking we can get a lot of simple little things there." Mom said.

**Edward POV **

Alice went to pick Mom up at the airport and she was bringing Mom here. This time Mom decided to stay at my place so that she could decorate and furnish my place. My phone rang and it was Alice.

"Hey Edward, I'm pulling into the parking lot right now. See you in a few."

There was a knock on the door and Mom and Alice came in. "Hello dear. I missed you." Mom said and gave me a kiss on my cheek. Alice bounced into the room and planted herself on the couch.

"I missed you too Mom." I said and gave Mom a kiss back.

"I'm just going to go freshen up in your bathroom and start looking around to make a list of things I think we need to buy and then we can all go over the list together." Mom said and headed to the bathroom.

"I'm so excited. I never dreamed of going shopping with you. It's so exciting." Alice chirped.

"Don't get used to it. You won't get to do it again for a while."

"What? What do you mean for a while? Are you planning to move again? Spill! Mom! Come here. Edward has plans of moving again!" Alice yelled out to Mom.

Mom rushed back into the living room looking excited. "Edward, you're moving again? Oh I know. You're planning to buy a house aren't you?"

I realized I could never hide anything from Mom and Alice. They always had a way of knowing what was on my mind. "I'm thinking of extending the lease of this place one more year and then buy a house. I want Kitty and Matthew to grow up in a house they could call their own. Somewhere they can return that's packed with childhood memories. Like our house in Forks." I explained to Mom and Alice.

"I think that is wonderful dear. I'm so proud of you. You're really starting to think like a family man. House hunting takes a long time. Make sure to start as soon as Bella moves in with you." Mom said with tears in her eyes.

"It's too early to be discussing this. I haven't even asked Bella to move in here yet. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves."

"Oh she will say yes. I know it. Do you plan to buy a house here in Santa Monica?" Alice asked.

"I don't want to commute too long to work and don't want Bella to commute that long either to get to the boutique. I'm thinking Santa Monica or Pacific Palisades. I know Bella prefers ocean view. She says it calms her."

"Okay kids. First things first. We'll go to Williams Sonoma and buy cookware and cutlery. Then we'll go to Bed Bath and Beyond for flatware, drinkware, and casual dinnerware. You don't even have a vacuum cleaner." Mom said.

"A cleaning crew comes in twice a week. That's why I don't have a vacuum cleaner. I plan to keep the cleaning crew even after Bella moves in. It will be one less thing for us to do." I told Mom.

"Regardless, you need a good vacuum cleaner. Remind me to get you a Dyson." Mom said and I didn't think it was worth the argument.

We arrived at Williams Sonoma in no time. We headed to the cookware section first. Mom picked out the Le Creuset 12-piece cookware set in Citron. She said that the lemon yellow color will brighten the kitchen. She also chose the Citron kettle, spatula set in citron, pumpkin shaped casserole, and a Le Creuset stainless steel 7 1/2 quart pasta pot with insert. The Le Creuset was discounted quite a bit so Mom looked satisfied and we moved on to the cutlery section. She saved over 1200 dollars because of the discount. Mom worked on budgets with clients so she always knew where high quality things were and what store had them discounted.

I wasn't going to argue but I wondered what would happen when Bella moved in, she probably had most of these things we were purchasing today.

"What's wrong dear?" Mom noticed my worried look.

"I was just wondering what would happen when Bella moved in. She must have cookware."

"Don't worry dear. I unpacked her things so I know what she owns, what she's missing, and what she would probably discard when she moved." Mom smiled.

At the cutlery section Mom chose a Henckels Twin cuisine 10 piece knife block set. Mom said that Bella didn't have that many knives so she would really love these. These were discounted as well from $991 to $549.95.

Mom said she was done here so we paid for our purchases and drove to Bed Bath and Beyond. She told us to look at the clearance section first.

We went to the clearance section and found a really great set of flatware. We picked the Wallace Wilshire 45-piece flatware that was marked down to $79.99.

Then we went to the kitchen electronics section and picked up the Cuisinart 14 cup Food Processer. I was impressed that it had a 20 yr warranty for the motor. Alice went to the cleaning section and picked up a Dyson DC 25 Blueprint vacuum cleaner.

Last stop was the casual dining section. We needed everyday drinkware and dishes. We found a Colorwave Suede 32 piece Noritake dinnerware on special for $149.99. It was simple with only the salad plate with an accent of one yellow flower print on it. I told Mom I really wanted simple inexpensive glasses for everyday use since we had Kitty. I wanted something strong and sturdy so that Kitty doesn't get injured in case she drops it. Mom understood my concern and helped me find ones that suited the purpose. We settled on the 30 piece Libbey's Stonehenge Glassware set. It only cost us $19.99 and it was also dishwasher safe.

I felt dizzy from exhaustion and hunger. We now had plates, cookware, flatware, and stemware so I decided we were done for the day. "Mom, I'm sorry but can we leave soon and go to dinner? I'm really hungry and exhausted."

"Oh I totally forgot about time. Of course dear. We have reservation at The Lobster in an hour so we probably should head out there." Mom said and we went to pay for our purchases.

Fixing up my place turned out to be more time consuming than I originally anticipated. I was glad that my role was done today. Mom and Alice were going to take care of the rest.

"Are you sure we don't need to ask Bella and Kitty to dinner?" Mom asked.

"I'm sure Mom. Kitty doesn't like seafood very much. I asked Bella earlier when I called and she said she was going to hang out with Jasper. I'll see her after dinner."

"Mom, what would you like to drink? Should we start with a bottle of red?" I asked Mom.

"Let's order a bottle of Romanee- Conti. How about Grands Echezeaux GrandCru?" Alice asked.

"Whatever you two want is fine with me." Mom replied.

"Mom, do you even know how much that bottle of wine costs? It probably costs more than $400 dollars. Alice is suggesting that bottle because you're paying." I informed Mom so that she doesn't get ripped off by Alice.

"Shuddup Edward! We're celebrating so it's okay!" Alice shrieked.

"Celebrating what?" I retorted back to Alice.

"Settle down kids. Just this once, okay Alice? We'll order that wine. We'll call it housewarming gift to Edward." Mom said.

I wasn't going to argue since Mom was all right with it. I decided to look at the menu. "Should we share some appetizers? You want oysters right?" I asked Alice.

"Of course. Oh look. There's oysters from Prince Edward Isle. Ha Ha. We should order these Malpeque oysters." Alice said and chuckled.

"Stop acting so immature Pixie! I think I'm going to have the lobster cocktail with warm drawn butter." I said to Mom.

"I think this homemade lemon and chili hummus that comes with shrimp salsa, marinated olives, pine nuts, and grilled pita bread sounds very nice." Mom said.

"All right. Let's order those three appetizers and the Romanee Conti." I said and they agreed.

"I'm going to order the Alaskan King Crab & Lobster pasta for my main dish." Mom said and smiled.

"I'm ordering the Pan Roasted American Lobster with whipped potatoes and Jim Beam sauce." Alice said.

"Of course Ally. You would order the most expensive item on the menu." I said and chuckled. Alice sent daggers with her eyes my way. "I'm going to order the Dungeness Crab stuffed Filet Mignon Medallions. It really sounds nice," I said.

While we waited we discussed our upcoming Christmas and New Year plans.

"Edward, I want you and Bella to keep January 1st through the 4th open. Your father and I bought two tickets to Las Vegas and 3 nights at The Venetian hotel as a Christmas present to you and Bella. I'm planning on being here until the 10th so I can watch Kitty for you two." Mom said.

Alice gasped. "Oh that's so unfair." She pouted to Mom.

"Alice darling you've already asked us to get you the red Valentino Ever bow handbag and the Jil Sander dress like the one that Katie Holmes wore to the 2009 SAG award. Your father asked you if you wanted plane tickets for Christmas or something else. You asked for the dress and handbag instead of a romantic vacation with Jasper." Mom glared at Alice and Alice glared at me.

"Hey it's not my fault. You chose material goods over a trip with Jasper." I stuck my tongue out at Alice and she hissed at me.

"What are you getting Rosalie and Emmett?" Alice asked.

"That's for them to know." Mom said and wouldn't tell Alice.

"You could drive to Vegas and exchange the ticket for another flight at a later time. Please ask Bella. She may not want to fly in her condition anymore." Mom suggested.

The food was wonderful but we were all too full to order any desserts. Mom decided to stay with Alice tonight so that they could go straight to shopping tomorrow from Alice's. We went our separate ways from the restaurant. I didn't get to do anything special for Bella at the BBQ so I had purchased a white chocolate box with bite size pastries and the swan cream puffs from Caprice Pastries for Bella. Rosalie recommended me this place. She said that she ordered most of the cakes and pastries she served at the spa from there and that they were wonderful.

I headed straight to Bella's after I picked up the cake and couldn't wait to see her eyes twinkle when she saw what I got for her.

**Bella POV **

I now had a nanny who watched over Kitty until I find another preschool for her. Tonight Jasper asked me to grab a bite to eat with him since Alice ate with her Mom and Edward. I planned to stay home but Jasper begged me to go out with him. He suggested we go to Father's Office for some burgers and sweet potato fries. I envied Jasper because I couldn't have beer and it looked so refreshing after a taxing day.

Since I couldn't drink Jasper found the perfect place to go for coffee and desserts after dinner. He took me to Golden Mean Vegan Café. The place was cozy and cute. Jasper thought desserts with no refined sugar could do me some good and the place also had some books for me to look at.

"It's kinda nice getting to chill with just you and me alone. We never get to hang out just the two of us anymore." Jasper said and smiled.

"I do miss those days. You always listened to me whenever I had problems with the ladies surrounding Stephen."

"It was tough on you. You were so young when you met Stephen. I'm sure it had to be hard being thrown into the life of a rising rock star. Are things different with Edward?"

"There's no comparison. It's so easy being around Edward. I'm sure the fact that I matured and Edward's age helps too. I also know the difference between dreams and reality. I don't have to act like someone else when I'm around Edward. He's fine with me being plain ol' Bella. "

"You've never been plain, silly. You've got that wholesome, innocent, sweet, and caring look. It's no wonder Edward fell head over heels over you the instant he laid eyes on you. Edward loves you so much. Even if you named the baby Stephen Jr. he would still love the baby as his own."

"He's been so loving and kind to us. I haven't done anything in return. Christmas is coming up and I haven't a clue what to get him."

"Well I don't think he's the type who'd give you a straight up answer if you asked so you'll just have to take a wild guess. Don't ask Alice though. She'll just tell you what she thinks he needs instead of what he wants." Jasper laughed.

"Oh I'm so going to use that on you." I teased Jasper.

"Do you know what Esme and Alice are doing with Edward today?" Jasper asked.

"He told me they were getting some things for his place."

"Do you know why they are doing that?"

"Erm… he said something about only having bare necessities so he needed help from them."

"Bella sweetheart, he's doing this for you. He realized he couldn't invite you over to his place till he furnished the place. He literally only had a place to eat and a couple plates to eat take-out food." Jasper chuckled.

I gasped. "Oh my gosh, you're kidding me. He's doing all that for me? I would've been perfectly fine with whatever he had. I could've given him some stuff from my place."

"Bella, you're not listening to me. He _wanted _to do this for you. It's his way of showing his love. He wants his place fixed so that it looks inviting and comfortable. He wants it perfect for you. I know you. You'll freak out that he's spending a lot of money on the place. Accept it gracefully Bella. Don't hurt his feelings. You know not to argue with Alice. Don't with Edward either. It's a Cullen trait. His place is probably going to end up looking like something out of the 'Veranda' magazine." Jasper explained to me.

"Thanks for the heads up. I would have said something negative if you hadn't warned me. You're such a great friend Jasper. I need to have these talks with you more often." I said and hugged Jasper.

"You've been cutting corners and pinching pennies most of your life till you met Stephen so I know it's hard not to freak out when people spend a lot of money on you. You've been doing really well though. You didn't freak out in New York. I'm proud of you Bella. The Bella I used to know would have told Edward you couldn't accept the things he did for you in New York."

"Yeah. He did surprise me a bit. My mind was on vacation mode so I was more accepting. I'm still working on it. I still freak out how much food he buys for me all the time though. It's so much I have a lot of left over in my freezer now." I giggled.

"That's another Cullen trait. They think more is better. I think they literally take the whole concept of better be safe than sorry. Safe means buy the damn store up. Carlisle even bought an island for Esme. Nothing's gonna beat that." Jasper laughed.

"I'm a little worried though. Kitty's so influenced by it all. The Cullens are humble, kind and never arrogant despite all the money they have. I need to make sure Kitty doesn't grow up into a snob."

"I'm sure you and Edward will raise Kitty and the baby just fine." Jasper smiled and gave me a reassuring nod.

While we chilled I got a text from Edward that he was done eating and was on his way to my place.

"Jasper, I gotta get going. Edward's done eating and he's headed to my place. They were at The Lobster so he might get to my place before we do."

"'Bout time you gave him a key to your place Bella. What are you waiting for?" Jasper asked.

"I've thought about giving him a key to my place but I didn't find the perfect opportunity yet. I just didn't know when to give it to him. I even bought him a keychain for it. I have to make a copy of the key though." I said to Jasper.

"Here, give him the one you gave me. I'll make another copy using the key to your place that Alice has. You can text Edward that you're on your way, and to wait for you in his car."

Edward was asleep when I tapped the window of his car. He looked tired but smiled really happily when he saw me. We said bye to Jasper and headed up to my place.

I thanked the nanny and she left for the day. "I'm going to go freshen up," I said to Edward and headed to my bedroom. I quickly searched for the apple keychain I bought at Tiffany's for Edward. I hooked the key onto it and shoved it back in the Tiffany blue box and tied the white ribbon.

I stuck the box in the back pocket of my jeans and went to look for Edward. Edward was relaxed on the couch. I went and sat beside him.

"Bella, I got these for you." Edward said and handed me a box.

When I opened it there was a box made out of white chocolate and there were mini pastries in them. "Wow they look so good!" I said to Edward.

"Rose said this place makes really great pastries and cakes." Edward said and smiled.

"I'll go make some tea." I smiled back at Edward. I was actually really full but I wanted to make Edward happy. I decided that I could probably force a couple of the mini pastries down.

After I brought the tea and some plates I sat back down on the couch.

"Edward, I have something for you too." Edward smiled at me and I handed him the Tiffany box.

"Hmmm you bought me an engagement ring?" Edward joked and chuckled.

"Silly. Open it!" I said to Edward.

Edward took the ribbon off and opened the box. I saw his eyes open wider and he looked at me surprised.

"It's a key to my place. I don't want you waiting in the car anymore. I want you to come and go anytime you want without asking me. I want you to consider my place yours too." I said and smiled.

"This means so much to me Bella. You don't know how happy I am right now. I can't find words to express how I'm feeling."

"We made a little tradition in New York. I got you the New York subway token cufflinks last time. I stayed with the tradition. This is an apple keychain. Big Apple for New York." I explained to Edward.

"Ah, well that makes it even more special. It's my turn to give you something back. Come stay over at my place on Saturday. Mom can watch Kitty here or at Alice's." Edward invited me.

"I'd love to stay at your place. So you're finally inviting me over?" I winked at Edward.

Edward pulled me closer to him on the couch and made me lean my back on his chest. His arms wrapped securely around me underneath my breasts. He tilted his head and rested his chin on my shoulder right beside my ear. I place my arms on top of his arms.

"I love you." He whispered into my ear.

"I love you more."

"Not possible."

"Do you need to go home tonight?" I asked Edward.

"I have to leave early in the morning and return to my place to change for work but I'm all yours till then." Edward said and kissed me on my neck.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'm gonna go and take a bath before bed. I would invite you but my tub is too small," I winked and left Edward in the living room.

I was really sore from standing a lot at work today so I ran a bubble bath. The bath was really nice and relaxing. I realized I spent a long time in the bath and quickly dried myself and got out of the bathroom. I changed into my pajamas and went to my bedroom. I was surprised at what I saw.

I'm not sure what happened while I was in the bath. Edward was asleep with Kitty in my bed. I assumed Kitty woke up and found Edward in the living room. She must have begged Edward to let her sleep with us. Edward had his arms wrapped securely around Kitty. They looked so peaceful and happy in their sleep so I decided to let Kitty stay in my bed. I tucked myself in bed beside them and watched them till I felt myself drifting off to sleep. Since we came back from New York Edward slept at my place very often. The nights he didn't stay were nights I didn't sleep very well. Edward told me it was the same for him too. I was glad that Edward now had the key to my place. It felt more official that he was part of the family now.

**A/N **

I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. It was sort of a chapter to set some things up for later. I chose the apple keychain in significance to Edward catching Bella's apple in Twilight and the apple fit well with the New York theme Bella and Edward has. The link to what the keychain looks like is in my profile under Chapter 20.

I originally wanted to put the part where Bella visits Edward's place in this chapter but it was already too long so in the next chapter Bella will be going to Edward's apartment alone. Romance, a little humor, and a lil love makin' coming up the next chapter!

I'm sorry I took a while to get this chapter up. I was away from the computer for several days but I had plenty of time to toy with some new ideas while I travelled. This story will be priority as it's my first baby, but I'm fiddling with a new story concept. I've written one chapter but once I've written a few more chapters and feel that it has potential I'll let you all know.

Thanks for your continued support of my story and **please leave me a review! The next chapter is almost done. More reviews make me write faster. You want to read Edward and Bella make love ASAP right? Bribe me with a review! :)**


	21. Chapter 21 The Star Part 2

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Reminder: This story is rated **M.**

The places and items mentioned in this chapter are on my profile under Chapter 21. If you have time please have a look before you read the story or at least afterwards. It might help enhance your reading on the section in regards to the gifts.

I think this is the chapter many of you were looking forward to. Please leave a review!

**Chapter 21 The Star Part 2**

**Characters: Bella and Edward**

**Bella POV **

I was really excited today. I couldn't sleep last night. I felt like a little child too excited to sleep the night before a field trip. I dropped by La Provence Patisserie and Café and bought a Black and White cake which was 3 layers of chocolate cake, truffle, chocolate mousse, and a layer of fresh cream and strawberries. Edward loved strawberries so I was sure he would love this cake.

I gave him a ring as soon as I pulled into the parking lot at his place to let him know I was coming up.

Edward stood outside his door and smiled at me. "Hello love, I'm so happy you're finally here at my place." He hugged and kissed me.

"Thank you for inviting me. I brought a cake for dessert."

"Well come on in. Welcome." He said and took my hand and led me inside.

The foyer of his apartment was tastefully decorated with black and white pictures of scenery. They were from Forks, New York, and Chicago. "Did you take these pictures yourself?" I asked Edward.

"I did. Do you like them?" He smiled.

"They're beautiful. I didn't know you were into photography."

"I'm not talented like Jasper but I enjoy taking pictures."

Then I noticed several pictures frames on top of the sideboard. Some were pictures of his family, some from his childhood but what caught my attention were ones from our New York trip. There was a photo with just Edward and I, one with just Edward and Kitty, and one with us three together. I just never imagined he had pictures of us displayed in his home.

"Did you go through all the trouble to frame pictures of us because I was coming?" I asked.

"Oh they've been there ever since we came back from New York. I had them printed and framed the next day we got back." He said and hugged me.

He took my hand and led me to the living room. The entire room gave off a warm inviting feeling. The colors were in earth tones and natural.

"Have a seat. I'll bring you something to drink. Would you like some tea or cocoa?"

"Cocoa sounds really good. Would you like some help?"

"Don't be silly. You're my guest. I have things under control…I think." He said and stuck his tongue out like a kid.

"I'll sit at the kitchen island and keep you company." I said and took his hand and walked into the kitchen together.

"Hang in there for another 15 minutes and lunch will be done." Edward smiled.

"What did you make for me?"

"It's Texas hash. I know you like casserole so I asked Mom for a recipe. It was simple so even I was able to make it." Edward smiled excitedly.

"That yellow casserole pan is really pretty." I complimented Edward.

"Do you like it? I just got this when Mom, Alice, and I went shopping." Edward said proudly.

"I love the lemon yellow color. It's gorgeous. Oh you even have a matching spatula. Wow I'm impressed."

"Well come take a look in the cabinets. There are more of these in different shapes and sizes." He said and waved to come over.

He looked so thrilled and proud about his cookware. I chuckled. "Show me what else you guys got."

"In the cabinet over there are the dishes we bought, in that cabinet are the stemware, and in that drawer are the flatware. I hope you like them."

Edward tossed the lettuce and pulled small Tupperware out of the fridge that contained the ingredients for the salad. He opened the individual Tupperware and sprinkled the chopped boiled eggs, diced chicken breast, chopped cucumbers, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, bacon, and cheese onto the lettuce to make a Cobb salad.

"I'll go and set the table. Do you have placemats?"

"Yup. I sure do. There's several of them in those drawers. Freshly washed and came out of the dryer a little while ago." He said and chuckled.

"Oh these Christmas holiday ones are so cute. Where did you get them?" I asked Edward as it didn't seem like ones Alice or Esme would have chosen.

"Mom thought you might like things from Crate and Barrel so I stopped by there yesterday and picked those 3 holiday ones. I thought Kitty would like them since there were reindeers, snowman and Christmas tree on them."

"Can we use this red one with snowman on it?"

"Of course. Choose whichever one you want. Oh would you like some grape juice to make it look like you're having wine for dinner?"

"I think I'd rather have sparkling water with some lemons. This baby needs to come out soon. Mommy wants some booze!" I rubbed my tummy and Edward laughed at me.

While I set the table Edward pulled out a Cuisinart and started whipping the boiled potatoes.

"Wow, you even have a Cuisinart. A really nice one too. I have a really cheapy one." I pouted at Edward.

"Bella, everything here is for you. You can take this Cuisinart home if you wish. I only got this just in case you want to cook when you come over." Edward said and smiled.

I reminded myself of what Jasper told me, that I needed to accept things gracefully. Edward was doing this out of love. "Thank you so much Edward. I really love it all. I'm gonna have to cook something really nice for you then." I smiled at Edward.

We sat down at the table. Edward was in a silly mood and spoon fed me. The food was really great. "You're a great cook! You never cease to amaze me."

"Nah, Mom just showed me a simple recipe. I just followed her instructions." Edward said but he looked proud of his accomplishment. I was proud of him too. He could've just gotten a take-out but he took the time to cook for me.

"It was so sweet of you to just cook for me. You know you don't have to do anything special for me right? Just having you in my life is all that I need."

"I know. But I always want to do something special for you. You're everything to me Bella."

I got up from my chair and sat on Edward's lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought my lips to his. Our lips parted and I felt his tongue slip into my mouth. Our kiss deepened. I ran my fingers through his hair softly.

"Hang on to me." Edward said and he stood up. He carried me in his arms and started walking. I realized he was taking me to his bedroom. He laid me gently on his bed. His comforter was so soft it felt heavenly. He lay down beside me and pulled me closer to him. "I love you Isabella." He placed his hand behind my head and moved his lips onto mine. I parted my lips and his tongue met mine.

When we came up for breath Edward said, "I want to make love to you Bella." He looked into my eyes and all I saw in his eyes were love. I nodded to Edward and took his hands and placed them under my shirt right at my waist to give him the go ahead.

He slid his hand up my back and unclasped my bra. I held on to the hem of my shirt and helped him lift it over my head. Before I could help him Edward had already gotten his shirt off. I reached over to his jeans and unbuttoned his jeans. He unzipped it and slid his jeans down his legs. He took it off and threw it onto the pile of clothes that we started. He helped me with my pants and tossed it onto the pile. I was now only in my boy shorts and him in his boxers.

**Edward POV **

**(Here comes the bedroom scene so if you don't want to read it bypass it till where it changes to Bella POV.) **

I was really nervous and didn't want to break the mood but it was my first time to make love to a pregnant woman. I wasn't even sure what Rose and Emmett gave me was going to help or not. I didn't want her to think I was into kinky sex.

"I have something to show you but I don't want you to freak out. When Rose found out that I was decorating my place to invite you over Emmett and Rose sent me a present. Rose heard about this item from several of her pregnant clients at her spa. It's a cushion shaped like a wedge and ramp. It's supposed to give a little height and prevent me from putting pressure on your stomach." I said and walked to the closet to pull the cushion out.

I watched Bella as I brought the cushion out of the closet and placed it on the bed. Bella was shaking. I could tell she was trying really hard not to laugh. "It's all right. You can laugh. I know I did when I opened the box when it arrived." I told her and chuckled.

"It has Emmett written all over it." Bella said and laughed.

Yeah. Mood was definitely gone. It felt silly staring at the cushion on the bed together almost naked. I wasn't even sure if Bella felt like making love anymore. I think Bella felt my hesitation.

Bella lifted her bottom and slid on top of the cushion and pulled my hand. "Come here. Please don't leave a sexually frustrated pregnant woman hanging." She said and smiled.

"As you wish my dear." I said and knelt in front of her legs. I slid my fingers into her boy shorts and pulled it off of her legs. I left trails of kisses from her ankle to her inner thigh. I could smell her arousal. Her legs were silky, smooth, and so soft. I felt I could spend a whole day just kissing and playing with her legs. I blew warm breath on her sex and saw her shiver from anticipation. I grazed my thumb over her sensitive bud and felt she was already fully wet from desire. I traced her nether lips with my tongue. Her feet curled and grasped onto the sheets.

"Edward. That feels so good." Her voice was so sweet and seductive it went straight to my already hard erection aching to come out of my boxers.

I darted my tongue and sucked on her bud. Bella gripped the sheets with her hands even harder. She started to trickle from her sex. She was now fully ready. I slipped a finger inside her slowly and watched her to make sure she was okay. I heard her moans and her eyes closed. I pulled my finger out and plunged two fingers inside her and pumped my fingers slowly measuring her excitement. While I played with her sex I moved my other hand to tease her nipples.

"Edward, please. I need you." She said and opened her eyes and looked at me. Her eyes begged for more.

How could I deny what this woman wants? "Anything you need my love." I said and pulled my boxers off. I inched myself closer to her entrance and looked into her eyes.

"I want you _now._" She said and her arms pulled me closer to her.

I penetrated her and inched myself slowly making sure I didn't see discomfort in Bella. She was so wet and dripping I had never felt anything like this ever before. Was it because of the pregnancy? If it is I definitely wanted Bella pregnant again if she wished. "Bella, you feel so good. Mmmm."

"Faster Edward. Move faster." She said and I wanted nothing more than please this beautiful woman of mine.

She felt so good I didn't think I would last much longer. The animal in me wanted to slam into her hard and fuck her till she screamed but I had to control myself. This was the woman I loved. I needed to worship her. Animal sex could come after the baby was born. The animal in me had to be tamed for now.

I started to feel her walls clamp around me. Her chest was heaving and I could tell that she was on the brink. "Come with me Edward. I'm almost there." Bella begged me.

I pumped harder and faster while I worked her delicate bud. "Let go, sweetheart." I said and when I pinched her sensitive bud Bella shuddered and screamed my name. As soon as my name left her lips I let myself go and spilled inside her.

I pulled her into my arms as we came down and kicked the cushion off the bed. "I love you Edward." Bella said and kissed me.

I deepened the kiss and then rested my head between her breasts but Bella had other ideas. "I'm not done with you." Bella said and got on her knees. She moved in between my legs and lowered her mouth onto my cock. She licked me clean and sucked on my cock.

"Bella, you don't have to do that. Today was about you. Not me." I said to Bella and tried to pull her off of my cock. I felt my cock twitch and it was rebelling against me. It wanted to stay where it was, inside Bella's hot and sexy mouth.

"I want to," she said and kept sucking and pumping my cock with her hand. I couldn't deny anything my beautiful woman desired.

I felt myself harden again and felt all the blood rush down to my cock. I was in pain. Unless I had a release I was in trouble. "Bella, I'm gonna come. You need to take your mouth off of me." I told Bella and struggled to get her off of me.

Asking her to stop made her work on me faster and harder. I couldn't stop myself and came hard inside her mouth. I really didn't want her swallowing but that was exactly what she did.

I was spent. Bella rolled onto her side and I heard her sigh. "Are you all right love?" I asked Bella.

"I couldn't be better." Bella said and took my hand. She kissed my hand and squeezed it.

**Bella POV **

Sex with Edward was beyond phenomenal. At first when the mood was gone I thought he wouldn't make love to me anymore so I had to coax him a little. There was no way I was going to go home without having sex with him. I was too sexually frustrated and needed release. I was ready to jump him if he changed his mind.

"What are we having for dinner? I was just wondering if we were cooking or if we were going out or ordering take-out." I asked Edward.

Edward chuckled. "Are you hungry already? Mom prepared chicken. All I have to do is roast it in the oven. She also made a zesty rice and bean casserole to go with it. We won't need to cook a thing ourselves."

"Oh that sounds heavenly. I'm hungry again. How about we have some of that cake I brought?"

"Your wish is my command." Edward said and helped me get up from the bed.

"Do you think we should call Alice and give her some of this cake?" I asked Edward.

"Never. I don't want that pixie anywhere close to my place today." I laughed at Edward's response.

We cut the cake and served it on the cake dish. Edward was still in the mood of feeding me so I let him. "First bite." He said and chuckled.

The cake was really great but I wished Kitty was here to have a piece and felt a little guilty for having such a great time without her.

"I know we planned to go shopping today for presents for everyone after lunch but do you think we can shop online instead? I kind of don't want to get dressed." I said to Edward. I was too comfortable in just his shirt he let me wear.

"Sounds like a perfect idea. I love seeing you in my shirt. I also would rather see you in this than anything else. Let me grab my laptop. Who should we shop for first?"

"I have an idea for Rosalie's Christmas present. Let's shop for hers first. Would you please get me the online store for Neiman Marcus?" I asked Edward.

"Okay. I'm in the Neiman Marcus website. What do you want me to do next?"

"Can you search in the site for Marc Jacobs' charm bracelet?"

"Here we go. There's a silver chained black and white one and gold chained one with a cube of M on it."

"I like the gold one with the M on it more than the black and white one. What do you think?"

"I like the gold chain one better than the silver one too. Should we get this gold one and some kind of candle?" Edward asked.

"Good thinking. I love that idea. 'Search' candle and see what they have." I suggested.

"There are 15 pages of candles. Oh look I didn't know Godiva made candles. Interesting!"

"They do? Let me see! Oh I want one." I said to Edward.

"For you, anything my love. Let's get you one each. Which one do you want to get for Rose? There's white chocolate, peppermint, milk chocolate truffle, black almond truffle, and raspberry ganache." Edward said and smiled.

"The peppermint one. It's the only one with the red container. It's more holiday like."

"All right. Rosalie is done. Who's next?"

"Emmett I guess. What should we get him? I can only think of food when I think of Emmett."

"Let's get him food then." Edward chuckled.

"Are you kidding me? We can't get him food for Christmas."

"Yes we can and we will. Oh look they have a Niman Ranch BBQ Pack for $230. It comes with 2 rib eye steak, 2 tenderloin steaks, 2 frenched pork chops, and 4 bratwrusts. I think this is perfect. Emmett loves to grill. Plus I had Niman Ranch Sirloin steak for brunch the day we left New York so it's kinda sentimental to me." Edward said.

"Wow. You're really gonna get him meat for Christmas? Everyone is so going to laugh at us."

"That's the point. My family is going to love it. Emmett is going to love it. Rosalie will be pissed. I love it." Edward laughed.

"Okay. Moving on. Please get Saks Fifth Avenue website for me. Let's look for something for Alice." I said to Edward.

"Got it. What section do you want to look at?"

"Can you open the jewelry and accessories section for me…Under the shop by designer please select Marc by Marc Jacobs. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to get something similar to Rosalie's to be fair."

"Got it. Oh look. I think Alice might like this Miss Marc Earrings. Ha Ha. It's a face wearing heart shaped sunglasses." Edward laughed.

"There's a matching bracelet and necklace to that earrings. If we also get this umbrella with the same Miss Marc on it, the price we spend on Alice will roughly be about the same as Rose's." I said to Edward. "What should we get for Jasper?" I asked.

"They have digital photo albums on this site. Let's get him the digital photo album and memory frame."

"Oh that's awesome. Jasper's gonna love it. I know he doesn't have them. I've never seen it at Alice's or Jasper's." I told Edward.

"All right. We're on the roll. 4 down. Just Mom, Dad and Kitty to go." Edward said.

"There's something I was thinking of getting for Esme. Tiffany's have a holiday vase and candlestick and tree ornament. It's really nice. I started collecting the place settings myself. "

"All right. I found them. On to Dad. Please help me Bella. I don't have a clue where to start. Alice always shopped for Dad's present for me."

"He's your Dad. He's not Charlie. Charlie was easy. I only had to buy something fishing related. Something Doctor related maybe? The only thing off my head would be Norman Rockwell's Doctor and the doll."

Edward googled "Doctor and the doll". "Look there's a figurine for Norman Rockwell's 'Doctor and the doll' and another one called 'Before the shot'. Let's get these two. Thanks Bella. Dad's gonna love these for sure. All right. On to Kitty."

"Well she asked Santa for a dollhouse and your parents are getting her that. She also wants a kitchen so how about we buy her a kitchen? I'm sure we'll find them at the toysrus site."

"Which one should we get Kitty? There are lots of dollhouses and kitchens."

"Oh my gosh. Some of these dollhouses are really expensive. I'm getting worried. Your parents might buy one of these really expensive ones for Kitty. Look this one is $225! I should have specified a cheap one. Kitty's not even 4 years old yet. She would break these fancy ones really quick."

"You worry too much. My parents raised three kids. They'll know what to do and they know things break. Some of the toys they bought me, I broke it as soon as I got it out of the box. Don't get me started on Emmett. His toys didn't stand a chance." Edward laughed.

"Look! This is perfect. Disney Princess talking kitchen. For 3-6 yr olds. It's only $60."

"Okay we'll get that. I want to get this Tiny Tink and friends Tea Kettle play set. It only comes with Tinkerbelle so I need to find the other fairies. Oh it comes with a fairy lantern if I buy more than $40." Edward chuckled. He was really into shopping for Kitty. It was comical.

"You know, maybe we should've gotten something nicer for your parents. Maybe like a cruise vacation or something like that." I said to Edward.

"Oh Bella. Thanks for reminding me. I totally forgot to tell you. Mom and Dad bought us tickets and hotel room for 3 nights at The Venetian for our Christmas present. It's from January 1st for 3 nights!" Edward said excitedly.

"For real? Wow. That's unbelievable. We definitely need to do something special for them."

"Don't worry about it. They're thrilled about us being together. That's a gift all by itself to them. They want nothing more than us to have fun. We can bring back something nice for them from Vegas. Oh and would you rather drive out to Vegas or you don't mind flying?"

"It's a short flight. I don't mind. Which would you rather do?"

"I think it would be less of a hassle if we just flew. We should start planning what we want to do and where we want to eat. That way I can make reservations before we leave. Are there any shows you want to see?"

"I kinda want to see Criss Angel Believe. I'm not sure you'd want to though. Is there one you're interested in seeing?"

"Well we can go to Criss Angel on one night, and there's Elvis by Cirque du Soleil starting in December so I'd like to see that too."

"Of course. It's Vegas. We have to see Elvis." I laughed and Edward joined.

"All right. We're done shopping. We finished in less than 2 hours. It's how long it would have just taken us to get somewhere and come back. This was fun. We should always just shop online. So what would you like to do now?" Edward asked.

"I'm exhausted. I'd like to soak in your Jacuzzi. Would you like to join me?" I asked. Edward got up and scooped me into his arms and dashed to the bathroom. I had never seen Edward move so fast, EVER!

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If anyone wants to see what the cushion they used look like, it's called the Liberator. Look it up if you're old enough to look at those sites. It's at Liberator dot com. It's not on my profile because the site has other adult products on it too and some naked people. :p

Finally Bella and Edward made love. Sorry it took so long. I just wanted things to be as real as a fiction story could be so I needed their relationship to mature a little before they jumped into bed together. I hope you liked their love scene. It was my first attempt at writing something like that so I hope it was good enough for you all.

**It's my birthday on November 4****th****. It would be great if you guys can leave me a present in a form of a review! Thank you! **

Romantic Christmas and New Years coming up for Bella and Edward for the next 2 chapters!


	22. Chapter 22 The Star Part 3

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

As with the previous chapters websites of some of the places and items mentioned in this chapter are on my profile. Check out what Bella gets from Edward and what Kitty gets from Alice that is loaded on the pickup truck!

**Chapter 22 The Star Part 3**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Kitty, Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper**

**Edward POV **

"Mommy, Edward, wake up! Grandma Esme said wake you up." Kitty said and bounced on the bed. It was Christmas morning. Kitty was excited and couldn't wait any longer to open the presents.

It was a custom at our house to wake up at 7 a.m. to open our presents in our pajamas. I assumed Kitty must have been awake for a while now. She slept with my parents last night. Bella and I stayed overnight at Alice's with my parents and Kitty's as we were all meeting here at Alice's to open presents. Emmett and Rosalie needed to be at Rosalie's parent's house for Christmas dinner so they were coming here this morning instead of dinner. They were probably going to be the only ones dressed.

"Bella love, we need to wake up and go to the living room to open the presents." I kissed Bella on her cheek and shook her gently to wake her up.

We made it to the living room and I was surprised to see everyone there although they all looked really sleepy. Emmett, Kitty, and Alice were the only ones that bounced in their seats excited to open the presents at this ungodly hour.

"I think we should start with Kitty." Dad chuckled.

"Open mine and Rosie's first!" Emmett yelled and Mom scowled at him.

There were 2 large something wrapped in a bedding sheet with a bow that tied the sheet at the top. I stared at Emmett questioning him what the hell it was.

"I assembled it so that it won't be a hassle. I didn't think Kitty would like it much if it wasn't assembled." Emmett explained to me.

Rosalie helped Kitty untie the bow that held up the sheet. When the sheet came off Kitty squealed.

It was a Biddy Baby's Crib with a mobile and Bitty Baby changing table set from the American Girl Place for Kitty's Bitty Baby doll. I was impressed. I assumed it was Rosalie who picked it out and not Emmett though.

"Thank you Uncle Em and Auntie Rosie. Do you know which one Santa gave me?" Kitty asked and jumped onto Rose's lap.

"This is the one Santa gave you Kitty." Mom said and pointed to something huge beside the tree covered with a blanket. I saw Bella's jaw drop and eyes bugged out when she saw what Mom pointed at. Dad must have assembled it after Bella and I went to bed. Mom pulled the blanket off and showed Kitty the dollhouse. I have never heard a squeal so loud in my life. Kitty definitely outdid Alice. At that moment I got worried that she would grow up into a creature wilder than Alice. Bella was still frozen so I rubbed circles on her back and pulled her closer to me.

The doll house was a Barbie 3 story Townhouse fully furnished. Alice got up and gave Kitty her present. When Kitty opened it she squealed again. Out came a Barbie dressed in Spongebob Squarepants yellow outfit. I was surprised that Alice got such simple gift for Kitty or so I thought.

"There's more Kitty. We have to go outside though." Alice said and told all of us to go to the parking lot. In the parking lot was a rental pickup truck. Jasper went and took the tarp off. I heard Bella gasp at the same time everyone else including myself did. There on the back of the pickup truck was an electric run children's Barbie Pink Ford Mustang.

"Fuckin A! Kitty you have a smooth ride!" Emmett yelled and got slapped behind his head by Rosalie and Mom glared at Emmett.

"Shut up Fool." Rosalie scowled at Emmett.

"Can I ride it Auntie Alice?" Kitty asked Alice.

"Of course you can. Jazzy, help me get this car off the truck." Alice said and bounced around.

Jasper looked at Bella and me apologetically. I assumed this was all Alice's doing and he probably wasn't consulted. Bella's brows furrowed and I rubbed circles behind her back and squeezed her hand gently. I heard Bella sigh. My parents looked apologetic too. As much as I loved cars, getting Kitty an electric run car at her age was a bit too much even in my opinion. I feared for Kitty's safety.

"She got so much stuff. It's not going to fit at my place. Can you keep some of the stuff at your place?" Bella asked.

"Of course Love. I'll keep anything you want me to. I'll even take the car and put it in storage if you want." I said and chuckled. I was actually thrilled to get things to keep at my place for Kitty. I was up for anything that would make Bella and Kitty spend time at my place.

"Don't worry about the car. I'm making Alice and Jasper responsible for watching her when she rides that beast. I'm keeping it at _their_ storage." Bella scowled.

"I have a feeling everyone's gonna have to drive to yours and mine to transport all of what Kitty got today." I laughed. Dad heard me and joined me.

"This is just Christmas. What's going to happen at her birthday?" I saw fear in Bella's eyes.

"I'll help you rein everyone in. We'll make a birthday wish list and make sure no one stray away off the list." I suggested to Bella and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. I think we both knew there was no way we could rein anyone in when it came to buying things for Kitty.

We went back to the living room and Kitty finished opening the gift from Bella and me. More squeals were heard and Kitty loved the Kitchen and Tinkerbelle's little house and fairies I got her.

"My turn!" Emmett said and dug around to find the gifts for him.

"Go look at what Bella and I got for you. It's in the freezer." I said to Emmett.

"Freezer? What did you get him?" Mom asked and everyone looked surprised too.

Emmett came back with a package gift wrapped and the ribbon was frozen. He ripped open the package and rolled on the floor and laughed.

"What did you get?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Steaks! They're awesome!" Emmett laughed.

When everyone saw that Emmett wasn't kidding and it was indeed steaks they all erupted into a laugh except for Rosalie.

"They're steaks from Niman Ranch. I had their steaks when I was in New York with Bella. It was awesome. I know you love to BBQ so I thought what the heck. You don't really need anything and I knew you'd love getting food more than anything else." I said and laughed.

"You know me well bro, I couldn't have asked for a better brother." Emmett said and continued to drool over the steaks we got him.

I still felt scowls coming from Mom and Rosalie though. I think it bothered Bella but it didn't bother me one bit. I enjoyed getting on Rose's nerves.

Mom and Dad gave Emmett and Rose 2 tickets to San Francisco and 3 nights at a hotel of their choice. They knew Rose was picky about hotel rooms since her father was in the hotel business so I assumed that was why they didn't book a hotel room for them.

Alice and Jasper loved the gifts they got from all of us and it was our turn to open the gifts.

Mom and Dad gave us the tickets to Vegas and the voucher for the 3 nights at the Venetian.

Alice told me to give my gift to Bella before they gave theirs to her. I handed the gift wrapped box to Bella.

I heard Bella gasp when she opened the box. "Oh my gosh! They're the flowers you decorated your hotel suite with. They're preserved now and placed into the dome on the jewelry box. Oh it's such a beautiful jewelry box. Thank you so much Edward. I love it." Bella said beaming and gave me a kiss.

In the jewelry box was the key to my place. I got the Henri Bendel hatbox milliner keychain for the key. It was sort of in line with our tradition. It matched the charm on her bracelet. No one else saw that there was a key to my place inside the jewelry box.

Now it was time for us to open the gifts from Alice and Jasper. One of the gifts felt like a book. Bella ripped the wrapping paper and we saw a coffee table book. The cover of the book was a picture of Kitty, Bella and I looking out from the Staten Island Ferry. Everyone came and hovered around us and looked at the photo book together. The next was a picture of Bella and a picture of me when we first met at Bella's housewarming when we were shocked to see each other. I saw Bella blush and I also felt blood rush to my cheeks.

"You guys look stupid in that picture." Emmett laughed and earned a slap behind his head from Rosalie again.

The next was a picture of me playing with Kitty with her doll at the housewarming. The next one was of Bella and me at Griffith Observatory. The next picture shocked both Bella and I. It was a picture of Bella, Kitty, and I asleep together in her bed at my parent's home in Forks during Thanksgiving. Bella blushed even harder.

"I had no idea you guys took this picture." I said to Jazz.

"Yeah well you guys were fast asleep but looked so cute we had to capture the moment." Alice smiled.

The next few were pictures from the time we spent Thanksgiving in Forks. There was one I really loved. It was of Bella and me rubbing her belly bump. I don't recall ever doing that but I guess Jasper got that moment on film.

The next few pictures were ones I had the server take of the dinner date I had with Bella in New York. Then came many pictures of Kitty dressed in the outfits Alice designed taken at different restaurants in New York. The ones that stuck out most to me were ones that Kitty ate at various hotdog places. Everyone laughed at those.

The next one was a picture I didn't notice that Jasper took of Kitty and I strolling in the park in New York while we waited for Jasper when Alice and Bella left for the hotel to get dressed for the date with me. I loved the next ones. It was from Madeline's tea party that we went at the Bemelmans bar in the Carlyle hotel. Bella and Kitty looked adorable.

The next ones were of my hotel suite decorated with flowers for Bella. "Oh this must be the flowers you requested." Mom said and smiled.

"Yeah. Thank you Mom. It was really beautiful." I said to Mom.

The last page was from the ultrasound pictures. Under the picture it said, "Matthew Alistair." There were awwws from everyone.

Bella shook from tears. I knew they were happy tears. She was trying to say something and I figured she wanted to thank Alice and Jasper. "I think she wants to say thank you. Thank you guys. This is a wonderful gift." I said to Jasper and Alice.

Alice handed Mom and I a small box. When I opened it, it was a picture globe to hang from the Christmas tree. It was the picture of us asleep together during Thanksgiving. With the words, "Our First Christmas together."

"Shall we give them the gift?" I asked Bella and she nodded. She was still crying and couldn't speak yet.

I handed Mom, Alice, and Rosalie each a box. It was the Teddy Bear with Matthew's heart beat recording we ordered at the ultrasound at the clinic. When they opened it they couldn't figure it out. I told them to squeeze the tummy of the bear and they all jumped when they heard the heart beat. "It's Matthew Alistair's heart beat." I explained to them. I heard another round of awwws from everyone.

This was by far the best Christmas I've ever had in my life. I was thankful for having a loving family and Bella and Kitty. I couldn't wait till Matthew was born. I owed a lot of this to Alice. If she never befriended Bella, I wouldn't have this gorgeous woman in my arms right now. I used to never believe in destiny but now I felt that Bella and I were destined to be together. I've never felt I owed much to Stephen. I felt that even if Stephen didn't pass away somehow I thought Bella and my path would have crossed and we would've ended up together but I have him to thank for Kitty and Matthew. They were my kids now.

Bella, Kitty, Alice, Jasper, and my parents were coming over to my place for dinner. I had a surprise waiting for Bella and Kitty at my place. It was last minute but the day before yesterday Alice, Jasper, and my parents came to my place to decorate the Christmas tree I purchase for Kitty.

There was also another surprise waiting. I had purchased the Isabella daybed, cheval mirror, round nightstand, and the armoire with the appropriate bedding for Kitty. Bella thought Kitty was spending the night together with us in my bed tonight. They were in for a surprise. Kitty's room was done and looked adorable. I moved the furniture in my study to the guest bedroom and transformed the study into Kitty's bedroom.

Thankfully the pickup truck Jasper rented to transport the car also fit the dollhouse, Bittty baby's furniture, and the kitchen. Alice rode in Jasper's rental truck and Mom and Dad joined Bella, Kitty, and I in my car. We kept Biddy Baby's furniture and the electronic car on the truck but carried the rest to my place.

Kitty ran into my place as soon as I opened the door. As soon as she got in the living room I heard her squeal. I assumed she saw the Christmas tree. I took Bella's hand and Kitty's into mine and led them to my old study, which was now Kitty's room.

"This is your room, Kitty." I said and opened the door to her room. I heard an eardrum damaging squeal from Kitty.

"Edward! I can't believe you did all this for Kitty. The room is so lovely. Thank you so much Edward. This is the best gift we've ever received. You all have done so much for us I don't even know how to thank you all." Bella thanked us and I saw tears falling down her cheeks. I brushed my fingers on her cheeks and wiped her tears away. Mom came over and hugged Bella.

"We just want you to know that you and Kitty are part of our family and that we all love you." Mom said to Bella.

"Oh there's a trundle on the day bed! I can spend the night with you." Alice said to Kitty. I really hoped she meant it as a joke. I really didn't want the pixie corrupting Kitty's mind. She already started acting a lot like Alice. I started to wonder if Alice was just the end product of all the Cullen TLC. If that was the case, I had no doubt Kitty would end up just like Alice when she grew up. For now I didn't care. Bella and Kitty deserved all the tender loving care.

"I'm going to go start cooking for our Christmas dinner. Would you two please help me?" Mom asked Bella and Alice. "Boys, if you get too hungry there's cheese rolls, potato balls, and meat pie from Porto's bakery on the counter." Mom said and the three women headed to the kitchen.

"Thanks Esme! Wow you drove all the way to Burbank to get this? Potato balls are my favorite!" Jasper said.

"Alice told me that you loved them so I thought I'd get them for you. Bella also mentioned that she loved their meat pie and their cheese rolls so I had too many reasons to drive up there. It was worth standing in that long line." Mom said and smiled.

"Thank you Esme. Alice doesn't have the patience to get in that line, this is a real treat for me." Jasper looked really happy.

Jasper took some of the baked goods and went to the couch to watch T.V. I wasn't sure where Dad was. I decided to go check on Kitty in her room. The door was open. Before I was in view of the room I heard my Dad and Kitty's voice.

"Let's go outside and play." I heard a very creepy voice that gave me the chills. It sounded like a man trying to imitate a little girl's voice. And that was exactly it. My Dad was playing house with Kitty. I had to get this on video so I quickly ran to my bedroom and Jasper stopped me.

"Where the hell are you rushing to?" Jasper asked.

"Dad is playing house with Kitty. It's the freakiest funniest thing I've ever seen him do. I don't think I've ever seen Dad play house with Alice. I have to get it on video. He's even mimicking a little girl's voice. He probably thinks he sounds like a fairy. It's far from. The creepiest thing you've ever seen. " I told Jasper.

"I'll help. We have to get it on video." We ran to my bedroom, grabbed the video recorder and dashed back to Kitty's room. We made sure we were hidden and not to disturb them because if Dad found out what we were planning to do, he would stop playing with Kitty.

I was laughing really hard silently. It was too funny I couldn't help but laugh. My body shook from laughing so there was no way I could video tape them properly so Jasper grabbed the video recorder from me and recorded the two in action.

"Alice! no more shopping." Kitty said to Dad's fairy doll as if she was scolding the doll that Dad held.

I almost burst out laughing when I realized Kitty had named one of the fairy dolls as Alice. Jasper squint his eyes and tried to steady himself from shaking. He tried very hard to hold his laugh too.

"But I love to shop. I live to shop. I even got a handbag and a dress instead of a romantic vacation with my boyfriend." Dad said to Kitty in his creepy voice.

At first I was confused to what the hell Dad was saying to Kitty. Then it hit me, Dad was bitching through the doll of his disapproval of Alice's choice of the Christmas present. I rolled on the floor in silent laughter. When Jasper was done with taping them I decided to name this video as "Dad's therapy with Dr. Kitty".

"You have too many bags and dresses. You don't need more!" Kitty scolded the fairy Dad held.

I was glad to find out that Kitty had a good head on her shoulders. She was not even four years old yet but already understood that there was something wrong with the amount of shopping Alice did.

The two kept playing house but we decided we had enough of them recorded. I signaled Jasper to let's get the hell out and we headed back to the living room. Jasper set things up so that we could see what we recorded on T.V. I didn't want to hurt Alice's feelings but this video was too funny. I had to show it to Mom and Bella.

"Mom, Bella, come over here. I have something to show you." I said and waved to them.

I hoped Alice wouldn't follow them into the living room but she did. Oh well. I hoped Alice had enough sense of humor to laugh this off.

We played the video and Mom toppled over laughing. I never heard Mom laugh so loud. She held on to her stomach and tears rolled down her cheeks. Alice was a good sport. She also laughed along.

"I've seen your father do some really funny things but this without a doubt tops it all." Mom laughed.

"We have to show this to Emmett. He's going to love it. I don't really enjoy the fact that you all are laughing about me but this is the funniest thing I've ever seen Dad do." Alice laughed.

This was definitely the best Christmas ever for our family. We never laughed so hard. Love, warmth, and joy emanated from all of us. Bella and Kitty definitely enriched our lives. I don't think any of us would ever forget this day.

***************

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This chapter was originally more than 17 pages long so I cut it into 2 chapters. When I did that this chapter just didn't have enough humor in it so I added the last section which was the interaction between Carlisle and Kitty. I hope you liked it! The next chapter is almost done. I just need to edit it.

The next chapter includes a letter from Stephen to Jasper that Stephen wrote before he passed away. I hope you love it!

Thank you for reading my story. **Please leave me a review!**

It's my birthday tomorrow (Nov.4th). Gifts in a form of a review are most definitely welcome!


	23. Chapter 23 The Star Part 4

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Specifics of the Queen Mary from: / are © Copyright - 2009 Reuben Goossens **- **All Rights Reserved

RMS Queen Mary -wikipedia

Link to the Queen Mary website is on my profile under Chapter 23.

**Chapter 23 The Star Part 4**

**Characters: Bella, Edward, Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and elderly couple on the ship.**

**Bella POV**

I was busy the past few hours packing for the overnight stay on The Queen Mary in Long Beach and for the Las Vegas trip. I had to pack 2 separate suitcases so that Jasper could take 1 of them back as Edward and I were heading straight to the airport after brunch from the Queen Mary on New Years' day for Las Vegas. In about 10 minutes Edward was picking Jasper and I up for the drive to Long Beach.

Rosalie's father booked us all the Deluxe New Years' package which included accommodation for New Years' Eve, dinner on New Years' Eve, and brunch on New Years' morning. Both dinner and brunch were originally supposed to be served on the ship's first class dining room but Rose's father made special dinner reservation on the ship's Sir Winston's restaurant in addition to the buffet dinner. I was told the dinner was going to be a 7 course Gala dinner. I was really excited. With Rose involved that meant everything was going to be impeccable.

Alice was a little bummed as she had no hand in coordinating this event. It was handled all by Rose. Eleazar and Carmen offered to take care of Kitty for the night. Their grandchildren were here since Christmas so they offered to take care of Kitty as they weren't going anywhere. They said that one extra child wasn't going to make any difference.

We planned to drive separately and meet at the Queen Mary for dinner. Alice, Esme, and Rose planned to go to the Queen Mary Spa so they left before us. Edward suggested I join them too and that he didn't mind leaving early but I told him that I'd rather relax at home. After the spa the girls planned to get their hair and makeup done at the salon so I told them I'd join them at that time.

The dinner was served between 7:00 and 10:30 p.m. so Rose booked dinner at 8:00 p.m. That way we could have dinner and relax back in our rooms for a little while before joining the events and parties happening on the ship. The events and parties started from 6:00 p.m. and ended at 1:00 a.m. There were 8 different live music and venues on the ship. It would be a very long night but I was sure it would be really exciting. I was told the view of the fireworks was fabulous from the ship and we had preferred seats included in the package.

Edward came up and carried my suitcases for me. "I'm excited. I get to spend another few days with you without any interruption from anyone," he said and gave me a kiss.

I felt tired today so Edward let me sleep in the back seat of the car on the drive to Long Beach since Jasper came along with us. Alice took her car and left earlier for the Spa with Esme so he couldn't drive to Queen Mary himself as we were only allocated 1 parking spot per room. Carlisle took Kitty to Eleazar's for us. He planned to spend half the day there and arrive at the Queen Mary just in time for dinner.

Edward woke me up when we pulled into the parking space at the Queen Mary. We all got out of our car and were in awe of the greatness of Queen Mary.

"Wow, this ocean liner is huge!" I said to the guys.

"Back in the day she was one of the 3 largest ocean liners in the world, Normandie, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Mary. Queen Mary's maiden voyage was on May 27, 1936, from Southampton, England. Queen Mary, Normandie, and Queen Elizabeth were used to transport troops during WWII. Unfortunately Normandie was destroyed in a fire in 1942, so Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary became the 2 fastest, largest troopship." Jasper started to give us historical details of the Queen Mary.

"They carried as many as 15,000 men on a single voyage. During that time due to the camouflage of the ship and the speed they were nicknamed "The Grey Ghost" as the U-Boats couldn't catch up with them. In 1942 Queen Mary transported 16,082 American troops to Great Britain. It's still a standing record for most passengers ever transported on a single ship. She was once hit by a wave as high as 92ft and almost capsized. That incident inspired the author Paul Gallico to write the story Poseidon Adventure and actually used Queen Mary to stand in for SS Poseidon for the movie. Queen Mary even transported Winston Churchill across the Atlantic. Then in 1967 Queen Mary retired. In 1971 she opened her doors to tourists. Just in September of this year, 2009, management was changed and she went under a vast renovation. We're really lucky the rooms have all been recently renovated." Jasper gave Edward and me the rough history of Queen Mary. Jasper's eyes always twinkled when he got to share his knowledge of historical events.

We checked into our rooms and Edward and I went to explore inside the ship. We found a souvenir shop called "The Queen's Shell castle" that have been open since 30 years ago. We found items decorated with sea shells and bought a couple photo frames to put in pictures from tonight's events and a bracelet for Kitty. I left for the salon and Edward went to hang out with Jasper.

**Edward POV **

"Things between you and Bella are progressing really well it seems." Jasper said to me.

"Yeah. It's really been great. Everything feels whole now. I love Kitty and Bella so much. It hurts here to even think about them these days when I'm not near them." I confessed to Jasper pointing to my heart.

"All right. I was waiting for you to say that. I have something to show you. This is a letter from Stephen to me. I want you to read it." Jasper handed me a letter.

"Ummm , are you sure Jasper?"

"I think so. Don't let me regret it. You'll know why I showed this to you after you read the letter." Jasper insisted on me reading the letter.

I opened the letter and started reading it silently to myself.

_**Jazz, **_

_**If you're reading this I assume I've croaked. Forgive me for leaving Bella and Kitty behind. I'm sorry I took them away and moved to Chicago. I thought it would be best to be near family but I was wrong. You and Alice were my family. I was too stupid to realize it. I ended up causing Bella more hardship and she had to deal with Kitty and me all by herself. I'm fucked up like that. I never knew how to make the right decision except when I asked Bella to marry me. That was the best decision I made in my life and she was the best thing that happened to me. **_

_**How is Bella doing? Please watch over Bella and Kitty for me. Protect them for me. Please give them the love I couldn't give them. It's hard to imagine Kitty growing up without me. I don't even get to be at her 4th birthday party. I know things are going to be really hard on Bella. She already lost Renee and Charlie and now she's lost me. I'm one lucky bastard. I didn't have to watch a loved one die. **_

_**I didn't deserve Bella. I should have let her go when I found out I had cancer but the coward in me clung on to her. I didn't want to die alone. Jazz, please help her move on. Bella deserves to be loved and treated like a Queen. She is so loving and caring. **_

_**She deserves to be cherished. If you see anyone worthy of her love, please help her so that she can move on. Tell her not to feel guilty for wanting to move on.**_

_**Make sure he's no ass like me. I may have been a great lover and friend but I wasn't a good husband. Bella deserves to re-marry to someone who can provide very well for her, be her best friend, be a great father to Kitty, be a great lover, sweep her off her feet and shower her with romantic gifts and love. If you find a man like that hold on to him and help her fall in love with him. **_

_**I need you to do that for me. Don't make Bella stay a widow forever. Encourage her to re-marry. Kitty needs a Daddy. I want her to grow up with 2 loving parents. I want her to know how loving couples interact so that she has a role model. I don't want Kitty to grow up not knowing what true love is like. I want Kitty to grow up watching parents who share the kind of love that Carlisle and Esme share. I have faith that Bella can raise Kitty by herself but I would rather that Bella have someone to love them and protect them. **_

_**I know I'm asking you a lot. You're the only one I trust who can pull this off for me. Make the lucky guy worthy of Bella's love read this letter. I will fuckin haunt him day and night if he ever lays a finger on Bella or make her cry. If you find a guy worthy of Bella, tell him he has my blessing. Tell him to love and cherish Bella and Kitty. Tell him I don't care if Bella loves him more than she ever loved me. Tell him I want Kitty to call him Daddy. Tell him to do all the things I couldn't do for them. Tell him to fuckin spend every minute for them and don't even think about looking at other women. If he does I'll make sure his balls fall off. **_

_**I was an ass and didn't treat Bella the way I should have. I've made her shed so many tears all the way till the end. I don't know what happens to me once I'm up there or wherever I'm going but I'll do everything possible to watch over all of you guys. Know that you have at least one angel watching over you guys. **_

_**I was one lucky bastard for having a woman like Bella. Thanks to Alice and you. Hug and kiss Alice for me. Tell her to never lose the passion she has for life. Tell her not to drive Bella crazy dragging her around shopping and not to mold Kitty into an Alice though. **_

_**I'm gonna sound like a pussy but I want to say that I loved you guys. Thanks for being my friend. You were like a brother to me. I regret that I've hurt the best people in my life by passing on before you guys but I have no regrets about my life. Thanks to great friends like you, Alice, Bella, and my darling daughter I had a wonderful life although it was short. Thank Alice's parents for treating Bella and Kitty as their own. They need them more now than ever.**_

_**Love to you all,**_

_**Stephen **_

_**P.S. Tell the guy to stay healthy so that he doesn't leave Bella behind like I did. **_

I felt my eyes fill with tears. I really felt the love Stephen had for Bella and Kitty through his words. "Ummm. Wow. I'm lost for words." I said honestly to Jasper.

"Well, I felt you were ready to read this. I know it's a lot of responsibility but I have confidence you can do it and you already are doing a damn fine job at it." Jasper said and patted my back.

"He really loved them, didn't he?" I asked Jasper.

"He did. He just didn't know how to show it. Fame and fortune came too quickly too. He got lost. I think by the time he realized cancer invaded all of his body. He tried really hard to be the man he should have been for them before he passed on though. I think that's why he left this letter to me so that there was no unfinished business. You have his blessing. Treat them well." Jasper said to me.

"I will." I said and nodded with determination.

"Let's go find our ladies. They should be done getting prettied up."Jasper said and smiled.

When I got back to the room Bella was sitting on the bed watching T.V. "Hi." She said and smiled at me.

"You look stunning." I said to Bella and sat beside her.

"I didn't do too much to my hair. I just wanted to kick back and relax today. I didn't want to be stuck with bobby pins and coated with gobs of hair spray." Bella said and chuckled.

"You look beautiful no matter what you do or don't do. I love you Bella." I said and kissed her on her lips.

"Shall we head to dinner?" Bella said and I led her out the door.

We got seated at our table at Sir Winston's restaurant. "Wow, everything looks so great on the menu!" Bella said and realized she was a little louder than she expected and everyone smiled at her. Bella blushed and fidgeted with the napkin on her lap.

"Damn Bella, you took the words out of my mouth. I think you should stay pregnant all the time. I love that you're hungry all the time like me." Emmett said and laughed. I was sure he said that to make Bella feel less embarrassed although I wasn't sure if she really felt any better.

"Em, are you still hungry? You already ate dinner at the buffet before coming here." Rosalie said and scowled but everyone else laughed at Emmett.

"But Rosie, the buffet was included in the package! You should all go and eat there after this if you haven't already." Emmett pouted.

"I'm always hungry but not _that_ hungry." Bella laughed.

"What are we having?" I said out loud to see if anyone would answer.

"Should we all have Sir Winston's Seafood platter for appetizer? It's a plate of Jumbo Lump Crab Meat, Black Tiger Shrimp, Smoked Salmon and Tobiko Caviar Cocktail Sauce served on sesame seaweed salad on Radicchio leaf lettuce?" Dad asked us.

"That and let's share the Lobster Crab Cake Churchill, Champagne Scallops, and Foie Gras." Emmett replied to Dad.

"Could I also have the Lobster Bisque soup?" Bella said to me.

"Of course. I think I also want the French onion soup au gratin. Anyone else want soup?" I asked the others.

"Alice and I want the Lobster Bisque as well." Jasper said.

"All right. I guess Mom and I'll have the soup as well. Rosalie and Emmett?" Dad asked.

"Lobster Bisque for me and the French onion soup for Rosie." Emmett replied.

Our server came and Dad ordered champagne, wine, sparkling water for Bella, and the appetizers.

"I think I'm going to have the Prime Minister's Trio. It's Filet Mignon, Jumbo Prawns, and Jumbo scallops topped with Sturgeon Caviar served on a bed of mushroom risotto." I said.

"I think I want that as well." Jasper chime.

"We're having seafood for appetizer so I think I'm going to get the Downing Duet. It's Filet Mignon with Morel mushroom sauce and broiled lobster tail with drawn butter served with whipped potatoes, asparagus, and baby carrots." Bella said and I saw that she licked her lips. She looked very hungry.

"That sounds really good. I think I'm gonna have what Bella's having." Alice said.

"Me too." Rosalie chimed in after Alice.

"I'm gonna have what Edward's having." Emmett said.

"All right. Well Mom and I'm having Sir Winston's Wellington." Dad said.

"What time are you kids leaving tomorrow?" Mom asked Bella and I.

"We're leaving right after brunch." I replied to Mom.

"Have you made reservations for places to eat? You should ahead of time. You can always cancel." Alice said to me.

"It's done. I've made several reservations per meal a day ahead of time so that we could select later depending on our mood for that day." I replied to Alice.

"Good thinking. You're starting to be a perfect gentleman." Mom said and smiled.

"I aim to please." I smiled.

Dinner was perfect and we all split to different events spread throughout the ship. We decided to do our own thing until the fireworks started. Bella and I followed Mom and Dad to the venue with ballroom dancing. I didn't want to take Bella where the music was too loud or where it was overcrowded with heavily drunk people jumping up and down incase Bella got injured. We were leaving tomorrow for a romantic vacation to Vegas. I wasn't going to risk any accident.

I was forced to take ballroom dance lessons with Jessica years ago so I knew the basics of dances like Waltz, Tango, Paso Doble, Quick step, Fox trot, and the Samba. Bella said she only knew how to Waltz so we sat at the table and watched Mom and Dad dance the tango.

An elderly couple sat beside Bella and me at the table. "When are you expecting?" The elderly woman asked us.

"In May." Bella smiled and answered courteously.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" The elderly gentleman joined the conversation.

"We're having a boy." I answered the gentleman.

"You both look very young. Is the baby your first?" The elderly woman asked us.

"We have a daughter. She's going to be 4 yrs old soon." I said and smiled.

"You two must be so happy. You two look radiant. Harold and I have 5 children. We have 12 grandchildren. Do you plan to have more children? People have so few children these days." The elderly woman said.

"I'd like to have more children." Bella said and smiled. I was elated when I heard her answer. I wasn't sure if she wanted anymore children. Now there was hope for me to have children with her. I had given up hope for having my own children now that we would already have 2 children. Tonight turned out to be one of my happiest days of my life. First I got a blessing from Stephen, and now Bella said she wanted more children.

"How long have you two been married?" The elderly woman asked. As soon as the question left the elderly woman's lips I felt Bella freeze.

"We're not married." I smiled and replied to the elderly woman.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry. There's no need to rush into marriage in this day and age. Life expectancy is so long. The most important thing is that you two love each other and from the looks of it you two are very much in love. Your bond to each other seemed so strong I just assumed that you two were married. I'm sorry if I offended the both of you." The elderly woman said.

"Please don't apologize. You didn't offend us." Bella said and smiled.

I wasn't offended but I didn't really like that the elderly woman brought the subject of marriage up. I didn't think Bella and I were at the point to discuss marriage and I didn't want to scare Bella. I wanted to take things slow with Bella, step by step. Next step for me was to ask her to move into my place. I wasn't going to ask her to marry me until things have settled down after Matthew was born.

I was thankful that the music changed and we excused ourselves from the table. We went onto the dance floor and joined Mom and Dad. We danced to a couple of songs and headed to Mom and Dad's suite to relax a little while until the fireworks started. Bella and I didn't have a suite so we couldn't really lounge but thankfully Mom and Dad had a suite. We all gathered together a little before 12.a.m. and hugged and kissed each other when the year changed. The fireworks were beautiful. Bella and I were starting the New Year together on a trip. The start of the New Year couldn't have been better.

Bella was tired and wanted to go to bed but she wanted me to join the others for more drinks. She told me she would feel bad if I went to bed with her and didn't make the most of this night. I didn't mind going to bed with her but she insisted that I join my family for more drinks.

Just to make sure she was safe, I escorted her back to the room and tucked her in bed before I took off to join my family.

"Where's Bella?" Emmett asked when I spotted Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper at the bar.

"She needed to rest so she's in bed but she insisted I hang out with you guys more."

"That's cool that you guys can do things separately. Jealousy and insecurity sometimes get in the way and couples can't do things freely on their own. It's good that you two trust each other that way in such an early stage of the relationship." Rosalie said approvingly.

"Yeah, but you need to watch out after Bella has the baby. Once she's no longer pregnant you're gonna have to swat all the men that swarm around her. There's something about her that attract the male population." Emmett teased.

I growled at Emmett. I didn't need a reminder. I've seen plenty of men ogle her even now when she's pregnant.

"Stop giving him a hard time Em. Edward has nothing to worry about. Bella is so into him and she's not the cheating type. Jazzy and I can bet on that. Even if Edward cheated on her she wouldn't cheat on him." Alice said to Emmett.

"Whoa! Don't even mention that I would cheat on her even hypothetically. You know I would _never_ do that to her." I said to Alice a little louder than I planned to.

"Take a chill pill. You know we know that you would never do that to her." Alice said.

"Yeah and someone would make your balls fall off if you did." Jasper chuckled.

"What about balls? Edward's balls? Who's gonna cut off his balls?" Emmett jumped into the conversation excitedly. He was such a kid. Just the mere mention of the word "balls" excited him.

"No one is going to cut my balls off. Stop talking about my balls. You perverts." Everyone laughed although only Jasper and I knew the hidden meaning behind it.

Emmett, Alice, and Jasper went to the dance floor but Rosalie stayed behind and sat with me.

"How are things with you and Emmett? Any wedding plans in the future?" I asked Rosalie.

"It's a lot more complicated than it looks. Emmett is fine with the way things are right now and believes that any change will just upset things. I envy you and Bella. Things look like they've fallen into place so smoothly for you two. I'm really happy for you two and everyone is really proud of you for stepping up to the plate. It couldn't have been easy from being a bachelor to suddenly filling the role of a father to not just one but two children soon. They both aren't even yours. The way things are going I think you would be married before us." Rosalie said and looked sad.

I saw pain in her eyes. I felt really bad for her. Rosalie was right. Despite the fact that Bella had only been recently widowed our relationship progressed quite smoothly. We didn't have any major obstacles. My whole family was very supportive of us and they all loved Bella.

"I'm not sure what I can do for you two but if there's anything I can do, let me know all right Rose?"

"Thanks Edward. I'm sure if you and Bella or Alice and Jasper got married Emmett might be more inclined to consider marriage." Rosalie sulked.

I never realized that marriage was an issue to Rosalie and Emmett. They always seemed so happy. I wished there was a simple solution. Come to think of it, I didn't know why Alice and Jasper weren't married either. They've been together for almost 10 years or maybe even more.

"We'll think of something, Rose. If we all put our heads together there's nothing we can't accomplish." I said and hugged Rosalie tight.

"Lil bro, just cuz Bella isn't around doesn't give you the green light to hit on my woman." Emmett teased. Rosalie and I were so deep in the conversation we didn't realize Emmett, Jasper, and Alice returned from the dance floor.

"So what do you have planned in Vegas other than steamy hot sex? If it were me and Rosie we wouldn't leave the room at all but you two kids probably need some sort of entertainment since you probably don't have the stamina to last 3 days." Emmett laughed and Rosalie slapped him behind his head. "OW OW Rosie, stop! I'm merely stating a fact."

"Our sex life is perfectly fine." I growled at Emmett.

"I guess you're a doctor. You can always prescribe the little blue pill. Well they say many women get hornier during their pregnancy so if things are fine then our Bella must be a sex kitten." Emmett laughed but earned slaps to his head from Rosalie and Alice.

"Okay, okay, so what are you guys going to do? Mom and Dad should have chosen a better location. Las Vegas has a great nightlife. You guys should have been the one who got tickets to San Francisco, not us. Bella can't drink and it's not safe to be clubbing. You probably don't want to take her to the casino cuz of all the smoking. Well I think there's some with designated smoke free zones like in Bellagio, MGM, Mirage and Harrah's. There's shopping but come on we live in LA there's probably nothing that Vegas has that LA doesn't." Emmett said.

"Nah, San Francisco would definitely been a worse idea. That's where Stephen proposed to Bella. No need to remind Bella of Stephen when they are trying to have a romantic time. I'm sure Esme remembered so they chose Vegas although I think they should have given them tickets to Hawaii. I think Hawaii would've been a better choice." Jasper said and I couldn't agree more. Hawaii definitely would've been a better choice but I think Mom and Dad probably considered that Bella wouldn't want to be too far away from Kitty. If anything happened to Kitty, Las Vegas was close enough for us to drive back home. I was sure Mom and Dad gave a lot of thought into choosing the location weighing all the pros and cons.

"I don't think Edward needs to really do anything. Just the fact that they get to relax, enjoy nice food, and be Kitty and Cullen family free is exactly what they need as a couple. Just enjoy your time together, Edward." Rosalie smiled and patted my back.

"I'm getting bored here." Emmett said and pouted.

"Hey, I have a suggestion. Why don't I teach you how to give Bella a massage? I'm sure it will earn you brownie points during the trip. Emmett's really great at it so he can show it to you while he demonstrates on me." Rose suggested to me.

"Is that a way of making me give you a massage Rosie? You know I prefer giving you a massage without an audience." Emmett said and wiggled his brows.

Rosalie slapped Emmett behind his head. "It's for Edward you moron, so that he can help Bella. She's going to be sore from walking around in Vegas."

We went to Rosalie and Emmett's room and watched Emmett give a massage to Rosalie. Alice and Jasper was kind and let me practice on Alice. It was awkward giving my sister a massage but it was definitely a better option than practicing on Rosalie. Emmett wouldn't let me anyway.

Before Jasper, Alice, and I retreated back to our rooms Rosalie gave me a bottle of the massage oil so that I could take with me to Vegas. I was really thankful for all that my family did for me. They had been so accommodating. Now that I've mastered some massage techniques I looked forward to giving Bella a massage.

***************

**A/N **

Just for information, the management of Queen Mary changed this year so I'm not sure what's really going to happen for New Year's events on the Queen Mary this year. The hotel package, venues, events mentioned in this chapter are based on details from previous years. I like to keep things as real as possible in the story, but I wasn't able to find out details for this year as it's not posted yet. I'm sorry about that.

Next chapter is Bella and Edward's trip to Vegas. I originally planned to try to fit it in 1 chapter but I think it's just going to be way too long so I'll be splitting it into 2 chapters.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It would be great if you could leave me a review!


	24. Chapter 24 The Lovers

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot I came up with.

As with previous chapters the websites to places mentioned in this chapter are on my profile. Please have a look. It would help visualize the environment the characters are in and make the story more enjoyable.

Thank you **jasperbaby**, **carol0922**, **beans and cornbread**, and **JL** who's left me a review for the previous chapters. I couldn't reply back due to PM function disabled or reviewed as anonymous. I really appreciate it. I'm sorry if I didn't reply back to anyone else. I try to make sure to reply back to all the reviews. I hope I didn't miss anyone.

Special thanks to **scarletappy**. The part where Bella and Edward travel down the strip is from her idea to have a little sightseeing of the hotels. Thanks **scarletappy**!

**Chapter 24 The Lovers **

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Rosalie, Emmett**

**BPOV**

When we arrived at McCarran, Edward had a Maybach waiting for us. The chauffeur walked us to baggage claim, collected our luggage and escorted us to the car. I thought we were taking a cab to The Venetian but I should have known better. Of course Edward had a car waiting for us. Edward escorted me into the Maybach and he slid in beside me while the chauffeur loaded our luggage into the trunk.

The traffic was heavy. Our hotel was basically in the center of the Strip. I'm sure we could have taken the I-15 further down but Edward requested to go down Las Vegas Blvd. so that I could see the hotels since I haven't been to Las Vegas in a while.

This trip would have been perfect if I wasn't pregnant. "I'm always pregnant when I'm on a trip. I never get to do any of the fun stuff. I don't get to drink, I don't get to go on rides, and I can't be on my feet too long." I muttered to Edward.

"I'm sorry Love, I'll make sure you have the best time of your life though." Edward said and gave me a kiss on my forehead.

We passed Mandalay Bay, the Luxor pyramid, the castles of Excalibur, New York New York's Statue of Liberty, Planet Hollywood resort & casinos, The Eiffel tower of Paris, the fountain of Bellagio, the palm trees and the arch of Bally's, Flamingo aka The Pink Hotel, The Roman empire of Caesar's Palace, The Volcano of the Mirage, and then finally arrived at our hotel, The Venetian.

The Venetian was an all-suite hotel. I was pregnant, the less I walked around was better but Carlisle and Esme had different ideas and booked us the 1,980 sq ft. Renaissance suite. Garrett, who was in charge of us during our stay, was very kind and he explained how to use all the knick knacks in the room to me while Edward sat at the bar and watched us grinning.

I made my way to the bar where Edward sat on the stool. "Why didn't you tag along with me while Garrett showed me the rooms and the amenities, and explained to me how to use all the gadgets?"

"I just wanted to watch you and this was where I had the best view. You looked like a little kid in a candy store." Edward chuckled.

"What's not to get excited about? This place is bigger than Jasper's and my place combined! There are so many doors I think I'm going to get lost. I'll just stick to the living room and the master bedroom." I laughed.

"Well since the suite is so large, it's a good thing there are toilets spread out throughout the suite. You don't have to walk much to get to it and that's a good thing. You've needed to go more frequently and urgently lately." Edward smiled and said casually. If Edward wasn't a doctor I would be very embarrassed of my boyfriend's casual discussion about my frequent need to empty my bladder.

"Esme and Carlisle should have just gotten us a much smaller suite. Garrett told me that this is the largest suite next to the Penthouse. He told me there's a suite 2 sizes smaller that has basically the same kind of set up. Even comes with a jetted tub and separate glass shower booth like this one. I feel bad that your parents are wasting money on us."

"Don't worry, Bella. They just wanted us to have a grand time. At least I convinced them not to book us in a Penthouse." Edward laughed.

"Well please make sure that this is our first and last time we're staying in such a huge suite. It's not like we are going to stay inside the hotel much. It would be a waste." I said with care so that I wouldn't sound ungrateful.

"Well, there's a tub, you could always take a bubble bath and sing "Kiss" for me. I'd love to see THAT." Edward laughed.

"I am not Vivian and you're not Edward. Wait… you are Edward but not Edward Lewis. I certainly do not need a knight on a white horse to rescue me." I laughed.

"You're _my_ Pretty Pregnant Woman. We could go to the lounge, I could play the piano for you, and devour you right on the piano but I've booked us a cabana at the pool instead. Let's go and relax out there. I requested for a masseuse so you could unwind from the flight." Edward chuckled and we headed to the pool.

The massage was heavenly. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be comfortable getting a massage but this was special. Edward booked this especially for me so there was no way I would turn it down. "What are we doing after we go to the pool?" I asked Edward.

"I was thinking we could go on the gondola ride and then to Madame Tussaud's in the hotel." Edward said.

"The Gondola ride? Are you serious? People are going to stare at us like we are zoo animals." I cried to Edward.

"I promise it won't be that bad. We can ride the private 2 passenger gondola. We can do the outdoor ride instead of the indoor one so we won't have the shoppers staring at us." Edward insisted.

"Why would you even want to do such a touristy thing?" I just didn't think Edward was the type who'd want to go on a gondola ride.

"See Em's never been on the gondola ride. Rosalie wouldn't get on it with him and he doesn't want to go on it alone so I want to brag to him that we got on the gondola. I also want a picture taken so that we could show Kitty. I think Alice would be jealous too."

I decided to suck it up. If this was what Edward wanted to do, I could do this for him.

We got on the private 2 passenger gondola. I was told that the ride to the outside was 12 minutes long instead of the 15 which was the one that was for the inside. At least it was going to be a couple of minutes shorter.

Edward hugged me really tight and I snuggled into him on the ride. "Have I told you how much I loved you today?" Edward whispered into my ear.

"Yes you have. So many times I lost count." I chuckled.

"Well, it's never enough. I love you Bella. I love the way you smile, I love your voice, I love your nervous habit of biting your bottom lip, I love the way you smell, I love the way you laugh, I love the way you sway your hips when you walk, I love your little quirks, I love the way you scrunch your nose, I love the way your hair shimmers in the sun, I love the way you look at me, I love the way you rub your tummy, I love the way you smile at Kitty, I love everything about you, I am so in love with you Bella." Edward said and kissed me on my lips.

Our gondolier nodded and smiled at us. He must have heard Edward professing his love for me. I felt myself blush crimson. "Couples like you two make my day. It makes it all worth it. When are you two expecting?" The gondolier asked us.

"In May. We're having a boy." Edward answered smiling.

Every time Edward mentioned "we" when referring to the baby my heart skipped a beat. I wasn't used to him referring to us as "we" and the baby as "our baby" yet. It was endearing and I couldn't be happier that Edward so gracefully took on the role of the father of my baby. All my fears had disappeared the moment Edward told me that he was going to be there for me, Kitty and the baby when I found out that I was pregnant again.

"What are you smiling about?" Edward asked.

"That I am so happy to be here with you and thankful that I have you in my life. I love you so much Edward. You, Kitty, and the baby are all I need. Things are too good that it scares me something bad might happen soon." I said to Edward and he shook his head.

"I will protect you from any harm that comes your way. You've suffered enough bad things for a lifetime. Stop worrying. You deserve to be happy and deserve all the good in the world. I will do everything in my power to make sure of that." Edward said and hugged me tighter.

I was glad that we got on the gondola ride. After the romantic time we spent on the gondola, Edward asked me what I wanted to do for dinner. "Would you like to have dinner in the suite or go out? I have a reservation at Bouchon which is in the Venetian, but if you'd prefer eating in the suite that's fine too." Edward said and smiled.

"What's Bouchon like?"

"Well I booked us a table by the poolside so that it's more casual and relaxed. The chef, Thomas Kellar was named "America's Best Chef" by the Time Magazine and sole consecutive winner of the "Best Chef" from James Beard foundation." Edward explained.

"Wow, that's quite an accomplishment. I'd love to have dinner there. It would be quite an experience. I could brag to Alice and make her jealous," I said to Edward and giggled.

"Yeah. We could ask our server to take a picture of us and we can email it to Alice." Edward laughed.

"You know, knowing Alice she might come crashing into our suite." I teased Edward.

"No way. I do not want the pixie with us on this trip. She is not going to ruin our intimate trip together." Edward shivered at the thought of Alice joining us and I laughed.

As if Alice could see the future and read our minds, I got a text from Alice. "What are you two up to?" the text said.

"Wow, she's scary." Edward said and I laughed again.

"We just got off the gondola ride and now we're off to Madame Tussaud's before we go to Bouchon for dinner." I texted back to Alice.

"Have you ever been to Madame Tussaud's?" Edward asked.

"I've always wanted to take Kitty to the one in Hollywood but haven't. I thought of going while we were in New York. I know Kitty would love it. What kind of was figures can I see here?" I asked Edward.

"Hmm other than the obvious ones like Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madonna, President Obama, there were some that I was surprised. On their website it mentioned that there were Matthew McConaughey, Cameron Diaz, Criss Angel, Blue Man Group, and Simon Cowell." Edward laughed.

"Matthew McConaughey? I admit he's sexy but really? How did he sneak in beating all the other actors? Seriously there must have been other actors wax worthy!" I said and we laughed together.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to Criss Angel Believe? I'm sure we can still get tickets. Is there something else you want to do here in Vegas?" Edward asked.

"I'm not really sure. I just want to spend time with you and eat lots of yummy food." I said to Edward and Edward laughed.

"Well I have lots of great restaurants booked that you can choose from. We should probably do souvenir shopping tomorrow so we can get it out of our way."

"What should we do after dinner? It's Vegas. There must be lots of things to do here all night." I said to Edward.

"Well we could take a walk in the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. It's open 24 hrs, or we can go to Fremont Street, or we can go to Ethel's Chocolate factory and botanical cactus gardens. I think it might be a good idea to go to Ethel's Chocolate factory and botanical cactus gardens tonight because the holiday cactus garden is only open until tonight. The cactus trees are decorated with holiday lights. It's supposed to be really beautiful."

"That sounds really fun. I've never seen decorated cactus trees." I chuckled.

Madame Tussaud's was fun. Well as fun as watching wax figures could ever be. If Kitty was here she would have really loved it. After Madame Tussaud's we went back to our room for a quick change of clothes for dinner.

We got seated by the pool at Bouchon just like Edward requested. It was much more casual than the main dining area.

"The things I don't like about these large hotels in Vegas are that you can never really have an intimate dining experience. The restaurants are too large, noisy, and crowded." Edward said.

"It's all right. We can always have a meal in our suite. We might as well make good use of it." I chuckled.

"What should we order? I heard that the Fruits de Mer here was the best in Vegas. We could try the Petit Plateau. It comes with half a lobster, 9 oysters, 3 shrimp, 3 clams, and 6 mussels." Edward said and pointed at the menu.

"That sounds really good but you'll have to eat most of it. I think I should stay away from the shell fish if it's raw though. I think I'm going to have Steak Frites for my main dish." I said to Edward.

"Okay, I'll order the Gigot d'Agneau – the roasted leg of lamb so that we have different dishes to share." Edward said.

The food was fabulous and we ordered Mousse au Chocolat Noir- the dark chocolate mousse, and Tarte au Citron – the lemon tart for dessert. I was so full my stomach hurt. I told Edward I needed to lie down a little before we did anything else.

While I lay down on the bed back at the hotel, Edward opened his laptop and went through his emails.

"There's a store I'd like to go tomorrow. It's in Wynn Las Vegas. We're having dinner there so it's convenient." Edward said and smiled.

"What kind of store? I'm surprised you are into shopping."

"I'm not telling you. It's a surprise for you." Edward smirked.

"Well them, could you at least tell me where we're eating?"

"I told you I wanted intimate dining. I booked a cabana by the lagoon at Bartolotta's restaurant in Wynn Las Vegas."

"Wow, it sounds really romantic. What kind of food do they serve?"

"Italian coastal cuisine. Is that okay with you? Do you think you had too much seafood since we had some today?" Edward looked worried.

"Oh I'm fine. Plus I ate steak for the main dish. I don't get to eat seafood much since Kitty doesn't like it so it's my chance to eat seafood." I said and reached over to squeeze Edward's hand.

"All right. Should we head out to the cactus gardens?" I nodded and Edward helped me up from the bed.

The holiday lights at the cactus garden at Ethel's chocolates were spectacular. "It's so beautiful. I'm so glad I came to Vegas. Thank you for bringing me here. It's amazing." I was lost for words. The cactus trees were decorated with holiday lights and it was phenomenal. It took my breath away. I asked Edward to video-tape the decorations for me so that Kitty could see it when we return to LA.

"We should head back to the hotel. It's getting a little cold." Edward said and led me to the car.

I felt some chills when we returned to our suite. A long soak in the tub seemed like a very good idea.

"I think I'm going to get in that jetted tub." I said to Edward.

"Can I join you?" Edward winked.

"Okay." I said and felt myself blush.

"You wait here on the bed. I'm going to go run a bubble bath and come get you as soon as the tub is full." Edward said and left for the bathroom.

I changed into just a robe so that I wouldn't have to fumble with my clothes in the bathroom. Edward must have thought of the same thing since he came back to get me in just a terry bath robe.

"Ah, like minds think alike." Edward said and smiled. "Your bath is drawn my highness." Edward chuckled and took my hand.

He slipped his robe off and climbed into the tub first. I dropped my robe and Edward helped me into the tub so that I wouldn't slip. Edward had dimmed the lights and had some candles lit. It must have been aroma candles as the bathroom smelled really lovely.

"It smells really good in here." I said to Edward.

"It must be the candles and the bath bubbles. The aroma of the candle is a mixture of jasmine, honeysuckle, gardenias, freesias, lily of the valley, and tuberose."

"Wow you remembered all that?"

"Nah, I thought you'd ask so I read the label on the box of this Agraria San Francisco's candle. I've never heard of them but evidently all our complimentary bath products are from Agraria San Francisco." Edward said and smiled.

"I've never purchased it but I've seen them at Neiman Marcus and Saks. I'm sure if we asked Alice she could tell us all about it from where we can purchase it and the celebrities who used it." I said and chuckled.

I sat between his legs and stretched my legs out. His arms wrapped around me and his legs were intertwined with mine. He gently rubbed my tummy.

"Has the trip been so far so good?" Edward asked.

"Are you kidding me? Good doesn't even describe it. Everything has been perfect." I said and squeezed Edward's hands.

I enjoyed the fact that we were able to just relax and chat in the tub instead of grabbing each other for some steamy hot sex in the tub. This was one of the things I loved about our relationship. It wasn't all about sex. Sex was undeniably phenomenal with him but there were lots of other equally phenomenal aspects in our relationship.

"I love soaking in the tub with you. Promise me you'll take a bath with me more often at my place." Edward said and kissed my hand.

"I promise." I said and he gave me a soft kiss on my lips.

"Let's get you changed into your pajamas. Are you hungry? We had early dinner. Would you like some snack? We can look through the in-suite dining menu," Edward suggested.

"Mmmmmm snacks. I think I can actually eat more than a snack." I said and giggled.

"Anything for you, my Love. I'm sorry. I should have thought of feeding you more often. I keep forgetting you are pregnant." Edward said and helped me out of the tub.

"Well I'm glad that you forget I'm pregnant cuz my stomach is pretty hard to miss." I laughed.

"Silly Bella." He said and kissed me on my nose.

"Ohhhhh. Everything looks so goooood on the in-suite dining. They even have pizzas!"

"Go easy Bella. You're going to go to bed soon. You don't want to wake up in the middle of the night with a heart burn."

"Spoil sport." I stuck my tongue out at Edward.

"I'm just looking out for you Bella." Edward said and laughed.

"I know. It's just that it sucks being pregnant on a vacation. We could be eating burgers or pizzas right now and then go clubbing at TAO. It's such a shame we're in the hotel that TAO is in, but we can't go because I'm pregnant."

"I'm sorry sweetheart. Let me make you feel better. How about we order some Italian sub sandwiches, chicken pot pie, and fish and chips? I'm not sure if the hot wings would be a great idea this late at night. We can even order desserts if you like." Edward said and hugged me to make me feel better.

"Okay. If you promise me we can have artery clogging food before we leave Las Vegas." Edward chuckled to my response.

**EPOV**

Bella fell asleep on the couch after we had our midnight snack last night. I carried her to the bed and tucked ourselves in. I wasn't surprised that she fell asleep. We were quite active throughout the day. I took a quick shower and decided to order some breakfast before I woke Bella up. I ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast sausage, eggs benedict, and pancakes so that she could have a selection to choose from.

The food came and I went to wake Bella up. I wanted her to eat while the food was still warm. When I went to the bedroom to wake her up, Bella was already awake and was propped up with cushions against the headboard.

"Good morning Love. Breakfast is ready. Would you like to eat here?"

"There's something I want to give you before we eat." Bella looked shy and she was just too adorable. She patted the spot beside her so I crawled onto the bed and sat beside her.

Bella handed me a gift wrapped package. "I'm sorry I didn't give this to you on Christmas day. I wanted to give this to you in private." Bella said and smiled with a little blush.

I quickly unwrapped the gift and was stunned with what was in my hands. It was a Lladro figurine of a family. There was a young father with brownish hair, a young mother with brownish hair, a brownish hair young girl, a brownish hair young boy, and a little baby in the young mother's lap. I didn't think anything would top the feeling I felt after her revelation of wanting more children on New Year's Eve. This family figurine with 3 children was definitely her way of telling me not only that she wanted more children but wanted them with me.

I gave Bella a kiss and hugged her tight. "Bella, I love you. This is the best gift I've ever received. Thank you so much." I don't know what I did to get this lucky. I had the best woman in the whole world and she loved me and wanted children with me. I couldn't be happier.

I was thrilled. Now I was confident that she would love the surprise waiting for her today.

***************

**A/N**

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Another chapter on Vegas, then they go back to LA. It would be great if you could leave me a review!

Thank you for reading my story!

Oh, I have an announcement to make. I have uploaded my new story "You Complete Me." Please read and review. I'd like to have your opinion on whether I should continue or not. I have the next chapter written as well but didn't want to continue unless I had enough readers wanting to read the story! If you click on my profile and at the bottom of the page on the tab that says "My stories" you'll be able to find the link to my new story!

The summary I wrote for "You Complete Me" is as follows: Rating M, Romance/Drama, Edward & Bella

12.26.2004 Edward lost his memory in the Tsunami. With no clue of his identity he meets Emmett who offers him a job to help his family business in New York. Will this be his ticket to find out who he is and make him feel complete again? AH Canon


	25. Chapter 25 The Lovers Part 2

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

As with previous chapters the web site to some of the places mentioned in this chapter are on my profile under Chapter 25. Please have a look at Lake Ritz-Carlton. It's really gorgeous!

**Chapter 25 The Lovers Part 2**

**Characters: Edward and Bella**

**Edward POV**

"Let's have breakfast before it gets cold." I said to Bella and helped her out of bed although I really wanted to just stay and cuddle in bed together.

Breakfast was great and after breakfast we walked to Wynn Las Vegas hotel where I planned to surprise her. I was a little worried that maybe the walk was too long for her even though Wynn Las Vegas was next door to The Venetian. The hotels were so huge that even being next door it wasn't that close. She took it in a stride. She said she needed some exercise. I was getting a little nervous. I hoped she would like my surprise. I was taking her to the Anne Geddes store. I wanted to show that I cared for the baby like he was my own. I wanted to show her that I planned to be with her every step of the way including even shopping for baby clothes. I knew Bella hadn't gotten anything for the baby herself yet so I wanted to purchase the first item for Matthew together.

Bella was surprised when we got to the store. "Edward, it's a baby clothing store!"

"Yes it is, Love. There are only 2 Anne Geddes stores in the U.S. Here and another at Downtown Disney in Anaheim. I just wanted you to get a sneak peek here and if you liked the items we could easily go to the Flagship store in Anaheim. I know you haven't bought anything for Matthew yet so I thought we could choose some together." I said and kissed Bella on her forehead.

"You're so sweet, Edward."

Bella's eyes twinkled as she looked at the items in the store. There were so many to choose from but we settled on getting the gift set for boys from the Pure collection as it was made out of organic cotton. It came with a singlet, cotton lawn onepiece, merino hat and booties, organic cotton leggings, merino cardigan, muslin wrap, and muslin wash cloth. We also got a fairy dress set for Kitty as a souvenir from the trip.

After spending several hours at the Anne Geddes store Bella said she was hungry and I had promised her that she could have some artery clogging food today, so I took her to BLT Burger in The Mirage hotel for lunch.

We selected the Kobe slider trio which were 3 mini burgers, American Kobe burger, Spicy buffalo wings, waffle bites, Twinky boy milkshake which was a shake with Vanilla ice cream, twinkies, and caramel syrup for Bella, and All Nighter spiked milkshake for me. I really needed to start working out more often if I kept eating with Bella.

We decided to go to the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens at The Bellagio before we returned to the hotel to get changed for dinner. The garden was really exquisite and I took a lot of pictures of Bella and had other tourists take pictures of us together.

After getting dressed for dinner, we went to Bartolotta at Wynn Las Vegas. I went for the kill. This was the most intimate dinner I could find closest to our hotel. I booked a private cabana for us.

"Edward, this place is so gorgeous! I love it." Bella said and looked really happy.

There were so many items to choose from so we ended up choosing the prix fixe which was called the Don Di Mare that recreated the Italian family seafood fest. Since I went for the kill, we chose the Gran Menu Di Mare. I thought I might as well go for everything grand.

"It's all so fabulous. It all looks really great and tastes really great. Wow, I'm so glad you took me here. I'm having such an awesome time here in Vegas. You really kept your promise that I would have the best time here." Bella said and smiled.

"I'm glad you really love it. You're probably tired of sea food now though. We should probably do Chinese, French, or Steaks tomorrow." I suggested to Bella.

"I really have no preference. Everything you've selected so far had all been sublime. I have full trust in your selection. It's Sunday tomorrow. Where are we going for brunch?"

"We're going to Sterling Brunch at Bally's. It's supposed to be the best and most expensive brunch in Las Vegas. Emmett said he would kick my ass if I didn't take you there." I said and Bella laughed.

"What makes the buffet so special?"

"Well Emmett told me they have lobsters, oysters, caviar, Alaskan king crab, Prime Rib, Rack of Lamb, shrimp cocktail, chillean sea bass, crab claws, ready to order omelet, eggs benedict, sushi, sashimi, salmon, filet mignon, soups, salads, bagels, grilled veggies, fresh squeezed OJ, and desserts are some of the items Emmett remembered."

"Oookay, wow, that's a lot of food! I guess I definitely have something to look forward to tomorrow!" Bella chuckled.

We were really full and the walk back to the hotel from Bartolotta felt longer. I felt sorry for Bella. She had a frown on her face and rubbed her lower back as we walked back to the hotel.

"Would you like to take a bath with me again? Your feet must be really sore. I could give you a massage in the tub." I offered Bella.

"Really? You would do that for me?" Bella looked surprised.

"I wouldn't offer if I didn't mean it Bella."

The bath and massage put the smile right back on Bella. I felt relieved that Bella felt better. I was thrilled that I even got to touch Bella in the most intimate places on her in the tub while I massaged her. I helped Bella dry off and gave her another massage on the bed with the massage oil Rosalie gave me to take on this trip.

While I worked on her I heard soft tiny sounds coming from Bella. I leaned closer to her and realized she was snoring. They were the cutest little snores I've ever heard. I missed my chance of making love to her but I felt content. I couldn't ask for anything better than Bella asleep beside me safe and sound.

**Bella POV **

I woke up to the growling in my stomach. I remembered Edward was going to take me to an extravagant buffet this morning. We had reservations at 10 a.m. It was only 8 a.m. and Edward had been really sweet to me the past two days so I decided to return him a favor.

I sifted through my lingerie and found the Roman D'Amour Fifi Chachnill babydoll that opened and tied together at the front with 2 silk ribbons. The ombre silk faded from rich red to purple and the babydoll had ruffled capped sleeves to give it a feminine and flirty look. I quickly changed into it, washed my face, brushed my teeth, and brushed my hair.

I grabbed a few cushions, threw it on foot of the bed, got back on the bed, and crawled under the covers. I made my way to Edward and slowly and delicately pulled his t-shirt up and started to trail kisses on from his stomach to his chest. I slipped one of my hands into the waistband of his pajama pants and inched my fingers down and found my prize. I was a little afraid that Edward might slap me off him unintentionally because he was asleep. Luckily he reacted the way I wanted him to. He started to get hard inside my hand.

I kissed his nipples and bit it softly and teasingly. Edward stirred a little and felt that he searched for my face beside him with his hand. He must have realized that I wasn't asleep beside him as he jerked awake and called out my name. "Bella? Bella?"

He stopped calling my name as soon as he was awake enough to realize that I was under the covers touching him.

I heard Edward chuckle. "Silly girl, what are you doing under the covers?"

"Keeping Edward Jr. company." I replied to Edward from under the covers. It had gotten quite stuffy under the covers and I felt my face flush.

"Bella, please come out from under the covers and show me your beautiful face. I live to wake up to see your gorgeous eyes." Edward said and reached out to grab me from under the covers.

"Let go, I'm not done with Edward Jr. He wants me to give him a kiss." I teased Edward.

I heard Edward groan. What he said contradicted what his body wanted. His body wanted me to stay under the covers and pay attention to his throbbing member.

"Why are you calling my cock Edward Jr.?" Edward chuckled.

"Well I didn't know if you had a name for him. I would be more than happy to oblige to calling him with whatever name you have for him."

"You can call it whatever you want. I have not personified my cock. It doesn't have a name." Edward chuckled.

I slid my fingers at the waistband of his pajama pants and tried to slide it down. Edward caught on and lifted his hips up for me. After that he kicked it off his ankles himself. I sat myself between his legs and went down to kiss and suck him. Suddenly I felt two strong hands on my head. Edward started to run his fingers through my hair while I licked and sucked his now very erect cock. He fisted my hair and set the pace. Edward started to moan and I felt my silk panties getting wet. His cock started to twitch and Edward pulled me away from his cock and pulled me up and out from under the covers.

The cool air was nice. It was easier to breathe now. Edward placed his hands on my face and gave me a kiss. While he kissed me one of his hands started to untie my babydoll.

"Have I told you that you look absolutely divine?" Edward said and slid his hand over my breast and played with my nipple. His other hand had slid into my panties and went to rub my sensitive bud.

Edward flipped me over onto my back and placed cushions underneath me. I thoroughly enjoyed our little morning love making. After we rode out the waves of our orgasm together he helped me out of bed and we went to take a shower.

**Edward POV**

The Sterling brunch was exactly how Emmett had described to me. Simply put, it was grand. The place was loud, busy, and crowded. Bella would have enjoyed it more if she was able to drink some of the unlimited champagne being served. There were so many things to choose from, so much more than Emmett had told me. Again it was fun watching Bella's eyes twinkle over the food at the various food stations. Several of the drunken patrons felt the need to express their pity for Bella not being able to enjoy the champagne.

We left the restaurant with a full stomach and walked to the Forum Shoppes at Caesar's Palace.

"What do you think we should get for everyone?" I asked Bella.

"I was thinking maybe we can buy some pastries and chocolates at Payard. The branch in New York closed due to high rent. They're searching for another location in New York right now so Vegas is the only place that there is a Payard. Their pastries are one of the best ones I've ever had. We could buy the chocolates, jams, and pastries and courier them like we did in New York. They even sell perfumes. I think Alice would love one of their perfumes."

"A chocolate bonbon smelling perfume! Sounds like what Alice would be interested in. We'll purchase the items, go back to the hotel to courier them, and take the car to go to my next surprise for you." I told Bella and hugged her.

"Another surpise? Are you going to give me a hint where you're taking me?"

"I thought I'd sweep you away from this busy strip. You also won't be able fly to a foreign country soon so I'm bringing the next closest thing to Italy to you." I said and smiled at her.

Bella looked confused and shook her head not understanding what I meant. It didn't matter though. It was a surprise so she didn't need to understand. As soon we arrived at her surprise she would understand what I meant. It didn't take long to send the Payard items and we quickly got into the car. The driver was already instructed of the location so it didn't give away where we were going to Bella.

It was a 17 mile drive from the strip to Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas. The hotel was Tuscan inspired combining the best of the desert and the lush romantic grounds. There was a white sand beach, lagoon, lake, waterfalls, and a beautiful garden.

"Wow, this place is beautiful. It's so different from the bright lights of the strip. It really looks like I'm in Italy."

We got out of the car and went for a walk around the property. There were several wedding receptions going on.

"This garden is something like out of a fairy tale. It's so lovely. The Ponte Vecchio inspired bridge looks so much like the actual one in Florence. Oh, I love this place, Edward. Look at that chapel. It's so beautiful sitting on the lake." Bella said in awe of the beauty of the surrounding.

As we watched people came out of the chapel with the happy bride and groom behind them. They all looked really happy. In my mind I replaced the couple to Bella and me. I wanted to drop down on my knee at this very moment and ask her to marry me. I resisted the urge and escorted her back into the hotel before I acted on it. I didn't have a ring and I wanted to do something special when I actually proposed to her.

"We have a reservation for an afternoon tea at the Firenze lobby lounge." I told Bella as we walked to the Firenze lounge.

"Oh this lounge is like a romantic living room. The view of the lake and the desert-mountain is spectacular." Bella happily expressed.

We enjoyed our tea, scones, tea sandwiches, and cakes and left to go back to the hotel. We rode back in silence. It was a pleasant silence. Bella smiled at me and I held her cheek in my hand and brushed my lips on hers.

"I had a wonderful time at Ritz-Carlton. It was probably one of the most beautiful hotels I've ever been. The afternoon tea was excellent as well. Thank you, Edward. You spoil me too much." Bella said and kissed me back.

"I had a wonderful time too. I'm not spoiling you, Bella. I'm just treating you the way you should be treated." I said and kissed her back again.

We got back to the hotel and decided to take a walk through the Grand Canal Shops. This was the last night together in Vegas. We were leaving for LA late afternoon tomorrow. After our stroll at the Grand Canal Shops we went back to the hotel to change for dinner.

"Where are we eating tonight for dinner?"

"Have you heard of Fleur de Lys? You've watched Top Chef before right? It's Chef Hubert Keller's restaurant."

"Oh my gosh! Really? Oh I love you Edward. I love you! I love you! I've seen him on Top Chef and I sooooo wanted to go to his restaurant!" Bella said and bounced on the bed.

I had one of the six private cabana seating reserved there. I was told that the décor of the restaurant was really romantic with a floral sculpture of 3000 fresh cut roses shaped like a leaf on the wall.

**Bella POV**

We got to Mandalay Bay hotel by car and quickly made our way to Fleur de Lys. I was so excited. I felt like a little child on Christmas morning.

I gasped when I saw the restaurant. The ceiling was extremely high with rustic stone walls and pink lighting. It was so romantic and the private cabana seating was shielded off from the main dining room by curtains. We got seated and Edward chose the Chef Keller's signature tasting menu for us.

The course flowed flawlessly and the servers were impeccable. Some of the items I loved were the Dungeness crab which was avocado and crab with watermelon gazpacho, Ahi tuna tartare, truffled onion soup with duck, Alaskan King Salmon, Port glazed cervena venison, fresh fruit minestrone, chocolate feast of caramel milk chocolate and bananas mille fille, chocolate pound cake, chocolate pot de crème, dark chocolate vanilla sorbet, milk chocolate macadamia nut tart and assorted petite fours and madeleines with warm chocolate sauce. Everything was phenomenal. We even got an autographed copy of Hubert Keller's "Burger Bar" cookbook each. I was glad Edward didn't go for the $20,000 menu they also served at the restaurant. If I was able to drink wine, I had an inkling Edward would have ordered that menu.

"You look really happy." Edward said to me.

"Of course I'm happy. I couldn't be happier. The meal was fabulous and this whole Vegas trip was amazing. I really had a great time, Edward. I don't know how to thank you."

"The fact that you enjoyed the trip is a thank you in itself, Bella." Edward said and smiled.

I was sad that the trip was coming to an end. I had such a wonderful time here. I never imagined I was going to enjoy it so much. Edward had really outdone himself. He was truly good on his word that he would ensure I would have the best time here and I really did.

He was so good to me. I don't know what I did to deserve him and I was scared to ever lose him. Kitty was so attached to him. I was sure she considered Edward her Daddy. She finally understood that Stephen wasn't coming back. Edward's presence in her mind took more space than Stephen now. I was happy that she was no longer sad, but at the same time I hoped she wouldn't forget Stephen. There were plenty of reminders of him for her but I wondered if the love she had for Stephen would remain since she was so young when Stephen passed away. I also had mixed feelings in regards to Matthew. I often wondered if it was better had I found out about my pregnancy and had told Stephen before he passed away or if it was better that he didn't know. Sometimes I felt it was better because Stephen would feel a lot of regret leaving us before Matthew was born that he wouldn't know who his Daddy was and Matthew would definitely see Edward as his Daddy. Other days I thought it would have been better if Stephen knew. Maybe he would have stayed with us longer if he knew there was another baby coming and would have given more solid memories of Stephen to Kitty as well as pictures for Matthew with him and Stephen together.

One thing I was sure was that Edward was prepared to take on the role of Matthew's Daddy and I was forever grateful. It was such a sweet and caring gesture to go shopping for Matthew's clothes. Edward wasn't into shopping but he had planned all of Vegas trip on his own without help from Alice. He said he wanted to do everything on his own to show me how much he loved me and that he had put a lot of thought into giving me a great time. So many bad things happened over the years that I was nervous something bad was lurking in the back waiting for the chance to attack me when I wasn't looking. I quickly pushed my fears away and forced myself to remain positive and put my faith in Edward that no matter what he was going to be there for all of us.

We took a bubble bath together again and just relaxed cuddled in bed together after dinner instead of venturing out.

Morning came too soon but Edward had one more surprise waiting for me. He knew I enjoyed eating at casual diner type of places so he took me to "Egg Works" for breakfast.

The place was really cute. There were murals of a farm, toilets marked as Outhouse, and a little stand with an egg you flip if you wanted service. I loved the atmosphere. I relaxed and happily viewed the menu.

"What are you gonna have?" I asked Edward.

"I was thinking we can get a couple of things and share."

"Great idea. My first pick is Grandma's biscuits and gravy. What's yours?"

"I choose chilli skillet breakfast. It's ranch potatoes with melted cheese on top with over easy eggs and cinci chilli. Choose one more dish." Edward said.

"Hmmm how about California crepe? It's a crepe with diced bacon, sliced mushrooms, guacamole, and swiss cheese served with a side of hollandaise sauce."

"Mmmmm that sounds really good. Let's get that too." Edward said and ordered our meal.

I really enjoyed the breakfast. We went back to the hotel to pack our things and check out. It was time to head to the airport.

"My highness your carriage awaits." Edward said and escorted me to the Maybach.

The flight was smooth and short. Edward and I walked hand in hand as we got out of the arrival gate. Edward abruptly stopped walking. The color on Edward's face quickly disappeared. I looked towards the direction he faced and was confused at who I saw that waited for us.

Why were Emmett and Rosalie here? They looked so somber. I had seen this look too many times on others when Stephen was on his death bed. My fear had become real.

**A/N**

Did you like it? I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really worked hard on planning this whole Vegas trip. I have a bit of a drama/suspense coming up next few chapters. This story is romance and drama so I needed to throw in some drama since I hadn't done any of it since Felix. I'm not that evil so whatever it is won't shake Bella and Edward's relationship. It's something I put in place to actually strengthen their relationship and form them into a family by going through a crisis together. Please leave me a review! I'll reply with a little teaser from the next chapter so that I won't leave you hanging.

Oh, and I hope you had a chance to read my new story, "You Complete Me." If you haven't please go to my profile and scroll all the way down to the tab that says "My stories". You'll find the link to it.

It's a love story between Edward and Bella. It starts out with Edward in Sri Lanka with memory loss because of the injury he sustained from the Tsunami on Dec 26, 2004. He only knows himself as Edward and doesn't even remember his last name. He meets Emmett who's on honeymoon with Rosalie in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Emmett offers him a job at his business in New York. The Cullens have a winery in Napa. Emmett and Jasper owns a Café and a market in New York. Bella is the executive chef there. Jasper is Emmett's younger brother and Alice is Jasper's girlfriend. Edward doesn't feel whole because of his amnesia and unwilling to be in a relationship because he doesn't feel like he is worth it. AH Canon Pairing.

Thank you for reading my story! Please leave a review!


	26. Chapter 26 The Tower

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 26 The Tower **

**Characters: Alice, Jasper, Edward, Bella, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, Kitty, James (Stephen's brother), Victoria (Stephen's sister in law)**

**Alice POV **

"What the hell are you two doing here?" I couldn't believe my eyes.

"This is where my niece lives. What the hell are you doing here?" James said and Victoria glared at me.

"I told you in Chicago to stay away from Bella and Kitty or we'll get a restraining order." I shouted at James.

"I haven't done anything wrong. You can threaten me all you want but it's not going to do you any good." James snickered.

"GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE YOU SCUM!" I yelled at James. I was scared. Jasper wasn't back from work yet.

"SHUT UP BTICH! Stay out of our business. Bella and Kitty are my family. I can do whatever I want. Where the fuck are they anyway?"

"Like I'm going to tell you." I spat at James.

James kept advancing towards me while I kept backing up. Suddenly my ankle wobbled. I realized I was at the edge of the stairs. The next moment I felt nothing under my feet and tumbled down the stairs.

I've never felt so much pain in my life. My head spun and every bone in my body ached. I heard footsteps running down the stairs. I gasped for air. I needed air, I couldn't breathe. I needed help. I needed Jasper. I wanted to scream for help but the pain was overwhelming. I could only whimper. When I tried to move my head I felt dizzy. The next moment everything blacked out.

**Jasper POV**

I received a call from Carlisle that Alice was rushed to the hospital. He told me Alice was in an accident. A neighbor found her lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs and dialed 911. Carlisle told me that Alice was in surgery. I drove like a mad man to the hospital. Esme and Kitty met me at the lobby of the hospital.

"She's still in surgery. We're not sure what happened. Police are investigating. We won't know what happened until Alice wakes up. She's a fighter. Don't worry Jasper." Esme said and hugged me really tight.

"Do we know what her condition is like?" I asked Esme.

"According to what Carlisle was told her lungs partially collapsed, she has broken ribs, broken arm, broken leg, and injury to her head. They also suspect she has internal bleeding." Esme said with a very grave look. Alice needed to make it. I couldn't live without her.

"Who found her?" I asked Esme.

"One of your neighbors found her at the bottom of the stairs. The police aren't sure if it was an accident or not. They won't know until they question Alice. The security cameras didn't show anything. It all happened in the blind spot." Esme said and sobbed.

I felt a tug on my pants and when I looked down I saw Kitty clinging on to my legs. I assumed this was Kitty's way of trying to comfort me.

Then I saw Carlisle walking towards us. "Let's go and have some coffee. They won't be done in the O.R for a while." Carlisle said and led us to the cafeteria. He was calm. I assumed he was in doctor mode and not the father of the daughter in surgery. I was so broken. My whole world felt like it was slipping away.

"Edward and Bella should be boarding the plane soon. I couldn't find an earlier flight for them and I didn't want them speeding back to LA in a car so we haven't informed them of Alice's accident yet. We didn't want to create panic. I'm going to have Rosalie and Emmett pick Bella and Edward up at the airport. We don't need any more accidents." Carlisle explained to me but I wasn't really listening.

"I should have made her wait for me. I shouldn't have let her leave by herself. She was so excited to see Bella she wanted to wait for her at her place." I muttered.

"Don't blame yourself Jasper. She would have gone off by herself even if you stopped her." Esme said and wrapped her arm around my waist.

"Until we know for sure that Alice wasn't attacked. I don't want Bella or Kitty going near the apartment complex." I said to Carlisle. I couldn't let anything happen to Bella and Kitty.

Emmett and Rosalie came by the hospital before they left to pick up Bella and Edward from the airport. Finally after hours of agony of waiting the surgery finished and Alice was moved to the Critical Care Unit. We were told that they had to relieve intra-cranial pressure.

An hour after Alice was moved to the CCU, a distraught Edward and Bella arrived with Rosalie and Emmett. As much as I worried about Alice, I didn't want Bella stressed out. Stress like this brought on early delivery when Bella had Kitty. The baby would be too small if Bella went into labor now.

"I'm so sorry Jazzy." Bella said and gave me a comforting hug.

From the corner of my eye I saw Carlisle talking to Edward and I heard Edward yell. "What? What do you mean Bella and Kitty shouldn't go back to the apartment? Do the police suspect Alice was attacked?"

I saw Carlisle grab hold of Edward's arm to calm him down. Carlisle said a few more words to Edward but I couldn't hear him. After Edward looked like he calmed down a little, Carlisle led Edward back to the lounge. I saw Esme whisper something into Carisle's ear and saw him nod at Esme.

"Jasper, I'm going to have Edward take Bella and Kitty back to his place. Bella and Kitty need to rest. While in the Critical Care Unit only immediate family members can visit so until I can work something so that Bella and Kitty can see Alice they won't be able to meet her anyway. I hope you can understand. I love my daughter but as a doctor I need to look out for their wellbeing too. Edward wanted to stay but I convinced him that he needed to stay with Bella and Kitty until we are absolutely sure Alice wasn't attacked by anyone."

"I understand Carlisle. I care about Kitty and Bella too. Alice wouldn't forgive me if something happened to them."

"We're not leaving the hospital." Bella said angrily.

"I will call you as soon as there is a change in Alice. She's a fighter. Nothing bad is going to happen. You need to take Kitty home. She shouldn't be sleeping here and you need to rest. You're a mother and you have the responsibility to take care of Kitty and Matthew." Rosalie said and forced them to leave. I wished they all would leave. I just wanted to be left alone.

I wasn't sure how long I spaced out. I looked around the waiting lounge and found Esme leaning on Carlisle on the couch, and Rosalie asleep with her head on Emmett's shoulder. We were told that even if Alice woke up they wouldn't let us see her until 9.a.m. There were visiting hour restrictions in the Critical Care Unit. Only 2 visitors were allowed at a time, immediate family only, between the hours of 9:00a.m.-12.00 p.m., 2-4p.m., 5-6p.m., and 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. Carlisle assured me he would work something out for me so that I can see Alice even though I wasn't immediate family.

Time flew by but my Alice hadn't woken up yet. Bella walked back into the lobby with Kitty asleep in the stroller. I checked my watch and it was 8a.m. Esme got up and went over and hugged Bella. I saw Esme whisper something into Bella's ear and saw Bella nod but there was sadness in her eyes.

Bella came over to me and sat down beside me. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me really tight. I rested my chin on her shoulder. Memories of the day I sat beside Bella on Stephen's funeral flooded my mind and I couldn't breathe. I gasped for air. Suddenly Carlisle was at my side checking me. I felt Carlisle's cold hands on my face as he lifted my chin up.

"Look at me Jasper. Breathe real slowly. You're having an anxiety attack. Count down from 100 for me." Carlisle said to me.

After a few minutes I finally felt calmer. "Jasper, you need to sleep. At least go and grab something to eat. We can take shifts. You, Rosalie, and Emmett go and eat now. After you come back Esme, Bella, Kitty and I will go and get something to eat. Do this for Alice. You need energy if you aren't going to sleep." Carlisle said and helped me get up from the couch.

**Bella POV**

It was a shock to see Rosalie and Emmett waiting at the arrival gate when we landed. I picked up that there was something really wrong from the look on their faces. I had never seen Emmett look so sad and lost. Both Rosalie's and Emmett's eyes were red as if they had been crying.

I was afraid to ask but it had to be asked. "What's wrong?"

"Alice was in an accident. She's in surgery right now." Emmett said.

I felt Edward freeze beside me. "Carlisle didn't want you driving so he sent us. Everyone is at the hospital. I'll drive you two in my car and Emmett will follow us in Edward's car." Rosalie explained to us.

I thought Edward would argue but he didn't and nodded to Rosalie. "I know you two want details all we know is that her lungs partially collapsed, she has broken ribs, broken arm, broken leg, and injury to her head. They also suspect she has internal bleeding . One of the neighbors found Alice on the bottom of the stairs unconscious and called the ambulance. She was rushed into the O.R. She's now in CCU." Rosalie explained to us in the car.

"Why didn't Dad call us? Why did you two pick us up?" Edward asked Rosalie.

"I think your Dad wanted to avoid you driving like a maniac to the hospital with Bella in the car. You two could have also gotten in an accident and we would have had all three of you in surgery." Rosalie answered and sighed. I worried that Edward would be angry at Carlisle but he nodded to Rosalie with understanding in his eyes.

We got to the hospital but didn't get to stay long. Jasper had an anxiety attack and Carlisle explained to Edward and me that Alice hadn't woken up yet and that we wouldn't be able to see her until 9a.m. even if she woke up. Edward explained to me that Kitty and I couldn't return to our place until we found out more about what happened to Alice. The police wasn't sure if Alice was in an accident or if she had been attacked.

Edward was silent on the drive to his place. I felt bad that he couldn't stay at the hospital because he had to drive Kitty and I to his place. "I'm so sorry Edward for making you leave the hospital." I said to Edward.

"Love, please don't worry. I'm a doctor. I know how these things work. Alice is in great hands. Jasper, Mom, and Dad are at the hospital. There was nothing I could've done there. We weren't even allowed to see her until visiting hours started. It's better this way. All of them are going to be dead tired tomorrow morning. They need some of us well rested to handle the situation tomorrow with a clear head."

I realized Edward was in doctor mode. The rational side of him had taken over. Edward carried Kitty to her room and told me that he would get our luggage later. I grabbed Kitty's diaper bag so that I could change her into her pajamas immediately. I followed Edward into Kitty's room.

"I'll be right back. I'll go and get the bags from the car." Edward said and left the room. I quickly changed Kitty into her pajamas and tucked her in bed.

I went to the kitchen and started coffee. I heard Edward lugging the suitcases into the bedroom. Few minutes passed but there was no sign of Edward so I went to the bedroom to look for him. As I walked towards the bedroom I heard the shower running. It seemed odd that he went to take a shower without saying anything to me. I decided that he probably needed some time alone. Alice was in surgery and even though he was trying to rationalize everything in his mind I'm sure there was an inner battle going on between the emotional side and the rational side of Edward.

I needed to take my mind off worrying about Alice so I grabbed the laundry out of my suitcase and Edward's. I trotted to the laundry room and started a load. I passed the bedroom again and still heard the shower running so I went back into the kitchen.

I decided maybe some comfort food would help. I wasn't really hungry but I needed some distraction. I looked in his cabinet and found several cans of soup. I chose tomato soup and started to heat the soup in the pan. I remembered I froze some bread so I took those out and put it in the toaster. I searched for cheese and ham. There weren't any eggs so I settled on making croque-monsieur.

Edward came into the kitchen at the perfect timing. The croque-monsieur was done. I served it on a plate and Edward sat at the breakfast bar. I couldn't find a soup bowl so I put the tomato soup in a mug and placed it beside Edward's plate.

"Thank you." Edward said and smiled. I froze when I saw that Edward's eyes were puffy and red. He must have cried while he was in the shower. I realized he probably went to the shower so that he wouldn't break down in front of me. Several different emotions swept through me. I felt a little hurt that he didn't let me comfort him. I also felt that he did what he did because he was selfless. He didn't want me to worry any more than I was already.

I carried my plate and sat on the stool beside him and wrapped my arm around his waist. "She's going to be fine. She's not going to leave us. She wouldn't leave us without seeing Matthew Alistair all grown up." I said to Edward and pulled him closer to me.

I knew my words weren't comforting Edward. He was a doctor so he knew words like what I said were just words. There was no medical evidence to back up what I said. Nonetheless he smiled at me and nodded.

"Thanks for the food Bella. I feel a little better now. The soup really helped." Edward said and kissed me on my head.

"I'll clean up here. You should go and take a shower too. It will warm you up and relax your muscles." Edward suggested. I nodded and headed towards the bathroom

When I came out of the bathroom I saw Edward tucked in bed texting on his phone. I looked at him and he shook his head. I assumed it was his way of telling me there was no change in Alice. She hadn't woken up yet. I didn't mean to but I let out a really loud sigh. Edward gave me a knowing look and patted the side beside him on the bed.

"Eleazar called. I asked for a day off tomorrow but one of the doctors can't be in tomorrow morning so I need to go to the clinic for a few hours. I'm going to need to drop you and Kitty off at the hospital and go to the clinic." Edward said and sighed.

"I'm sure they'll all understand." I said to Edward and held him closer to me.

"I need to hold you." Edward said to me. "I need to hold you close to me. I need to feel that you are safe in my arms." Edward said and I nodded.

My stomach seemed like it grew ten times larger over the few days I was in Vegas. There was no way he could hold me close if I faced him so I got on my side and inched backwards so that my back was against his chest. Edward draped his arm over my stomach and rubbed gentle circles with his hand. He trailed kisses from behind my ear down to my shoulder. Edward held me really tight. I couldn't sleep and it seemed like Edward couldn't either. I heard him sigh several times. Sleep didn't come to me until it started to get lighter outside.

**Edward POV**

The positive I found in this situation was that my parents were still in LA when this accident happened. I didn't want to think what would have happened if they weren't around. I didn't think Rosalie and Emmett could have handled it as well as my parents did. I called Dad earlier and he told me that Alice hadn't woken up yet. He had Eleazar pull strings so that Jasper, Bella, and Kitty could have access to the CCU. Carlisle also got permission to look at Alice's charts and speak with her doctors and get involved in her treatment.

Bella called me if I could stop by my place and pick up the change of clothes for Jasper. She told me she forgot it on the bed. I stopped by Clementine to pick up some sandwiches and sweets for everyone. I had to make sure Bella and Jasper ate. I didn't think Jasper would leave Alice's side to go out to eat so sandwich would be something simple he could just step out for air outside the hospital and grab a bite. I called ahead of time and ordered 2 each of the chicken salad, roast beef, smoked turkey, roast turkey, tuna salad, grilled chicken breast, and cold meatloaf sandwich. I knew Bella and Kitty would be craving for some sweets so I also ordered some chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter dream bars, lemon bars, apple turnovers, and chocolate puddings. Even at a time like this even if not many of us had an appetite I was sure Emmett could finish whatever no one else ate.

It was almost noon when I called Bella as I approached the hospital parking lot. I told her to come out and meet me outside with Kitty. I wanted to feed both Bella and Kitty before we I got inside and I wanted to get updates from her about Alice's condition.

I loved my sister but she was getting the best care possible so my priority was to give the best care possible to Bella and Kitty and right now it was to make sure they were fed. I noticed last night that Kitty was a little feverish but she was okay in the morning when I took her temperature. In case she was coming down with a cold, I wanted to make sure she ate properly.

I also wanted to keep an eye on Kitty. I remembered hearing from Bella that towards the end of Stephen's hospitalization Kitty refused to go to the hospital. She was scared of all the wires and tubing on Stephen. I was worried Kitty might be feeling the same thing seeing Alice the way she was. I was afraid that Kitty may suffer from PTSD. Stephen's death was traumatic enough but seeing Alice in a similar state only less than 5 months after was definitely going to affect her one way or another. I needed to discuss with Bella that it might not be a good idea to bring Kitty to the hospital anymore. Jasper would understand as he loves Kitty like his niece.

Few minutes later I saw Bella come out of the hospital entrance with Kitty in her stroller. Kitty was getting rather too big for the stroller but she looked like she still enjoyed being in it.

"Edward!" Kitty squealed and waved at me from inside her stroller. I felt a little relieved to see that she was still smiling but I was still going to discuss the issue of Kitty visiting Alice in the hospital with Bella.

"Hello Princess. I missed you." I said to Kitty. I wanted to hold her but my hands were full with the food I bought at Clementine's.

We sat at one of the tables at the picnic area of the hospital. Kitty sat on my lap and peeked inside the bag of food.

"Wow, you brought food! Thank you, Edward. Kitty was grumpy from hunger so I was about to take her to the cafeteria." Bella said and look relieved.

"The cold meatloaf sandwich came highly recommended by the nurses at the clinic." I suggested to Bella.

We shared the cold meatloaf, roast turkey, and roast beef sandwich amongst the three of us. Kitty ate some of the meatloaf sandwich but she was content with the chocolate pudding.

Bella informed me that Alice still hadn't woken up yet but they found nothing wrong with her brain functions so basically all we needed to do was wait till Alice felt like she was rested enough to face us all again.

"Alice can't go more than 2 days without shopping. She'll wake up soon." Bella said and tried to cheer me up.

I smiled at Bella. Thanking her for being so considerate. "Stay here, I'll go find them and send someone out here to have a sandwich. You can come back inside after someone else comes out. I'm pretty sure it will be Emmett though. I'll probably have to do some convincing to pull Jasper out of the hospital." I said to Bella and headed into the hospital.

I saw Emmett and Rosalie in the waiting lounge. "Hey Em, Hi Rose. I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier. Where's Mom, Dad, and Jasper?"

"Dad's with the doctors, Jasper and Mom are at Alice's bedside in the CCU. All right, well Bella and Kitty are outside at the picnic area with sandwiches I bought at Clementine's so you guys should go grab some. When you get there would you mind sending Bella and Kitty back in?"

"No prob. Thanks Edward. I needed to step outside a bit for fresh air. Mom and Jasper haven't eaten yet either so convince them to step out too all right." Emmett said and they headed towards the exit.

I peeked in and saw Mom and Jasper sitting by Alice's bed. I signaled to Mom to step outside.

"Hello dear. I'm glad you could come. How are you?" Mom asked and hugged me.

"I'm worried about you, Mom. Did you get any sleep?"

"Dad and I'm fine. We're worried about Jasper. He hasn't eaten nor slept at all. He wouldn't leave Alice's side since we were allowed in this morning." Mom said with concern in her eyes.

"I'll talk to Jazz. I'm sure Bella can help ease some of his pain too. She's been through many of what Jasper's going through right now and worse. She'll know what to say to comfort him. Mom, I brought food. I just sent Emmett and Rosalie out to the picnic area. You should go join them. Get some fresh air." I said to Mom and gave her a kiss on her cheek and sent her off outside.

I went inside the CCU and joined Jasper beside Alice's bed. "Hey, how're you holding up?" I asked Jasper.

"She won't wake up but she moves a lot. I think she's having nightmares and I can't wake her up out of it. I feel so useless. I love her Edward. I don't want to lose her." Jasper said with tears in his eyes.

"Hey, stop that. The surgery went fine. They don't see complications in regards to her head injury either. It's only a matter of time that Alice will wake up. She loves you too. She's not going to make you worry about her much longer." I said and patted his back. "Did the police find anything more about what happened?"

"They have the security tapes. They're running all the people who entered the building that day till the time the neighbor called 911. They don't have cameras on the stairs so they won't know exactly what happened unless they talk to Alice." Jasper informed me.

"I brought a change of clothes for you. There are sandwiches at the picnic area too. Go freshen up and have a bite to eat. You're not going to last if you don't at least eat something." I said to Jasper. He looked like he was running different scenarios in his mind but nodded and stood by the door not being able to leave for a few minutes but finally he stepped out of the CCU.

Few minutes later Bella knocked and peeked inside. "Hey, I need to go to the boutique and cancel Jasper's appointments. We can't lose the clients so I need to pick up some chocolates or something and send it together with an apology letter in hopes the clients will re-book at a later date." Bella said to me.

I stepped out of the CCU to talk to Bella. "Bella, I can't let you go alone. Emmett or I need to go with you. I'll go and find Emmett. Sit with Alice till I come back, will you?" I asked Bella to go and find Emmett.

Emmett and Rosalie needed to go back to their place so that they could freshen up a bit anyway so I was going to ask them to go with Bella to the boutique. The fact that we couldn't rule out an attack in regards to Alice's injuries kept me on the edge.

As I walked towards the picnic area I bumped into Jasper hurrying back towards the hospital entrance. "Bella and Kitty are with Alice right now. Bella's going to go to the boutique to clear your schedule. Don't worry about anything else all right. Just concentrate on your well being and Alice's." I said to Jasper and headed towards the picnic area to find Emmett, Rosalie, and Mom.

I sat down at the table with them. "Bella needs to go to the boutique to clear Jasper's schedule. Could you guys go with Bella and then bring her back here? I don't want her on her own. I'll keep Kitty here." I asked Emmett and Rosalie.

"Sure thing, Edward. Rose needs to go back home once anyway. I'll send Rose home and I'll take Bella to the boutique and bring her back here." Emmett said and got up to go find Bella.

"Thanks. Just don't leave her alone please. I just want to be cautious until we can be sure that what happened to Alice was an accident. Mom, you should go with Rose too. You need to freshen up too. We're all not going to last if we keep up what we are doing. If you need to come back at least take a nap at Emmett's place." I said to them.

I just couldn't shake this feeling that the worst wasn't over yet. My fear became true when I received a call from Emmett.

"Edward, I don't want to scare you but there's something going on. Bella's inside the boutique right now but I'm standing outside guarding the door so that she's safe. There was a long wavy red headed woman watching the boutique. She jumped into a car and ran off when my eyes met hers. It was a blue Chevrolet Impala. I didn't catch the plate number. I'll keep an eye out for that car. If I see that car again I'll let you now. Don't tell others yet. Stay at the hospital. Keep an eye on everyone there."

**A/N **

Did you like it? I hope so. Well, we know who they are but they don't! Don't tell them though! :p Have a great Thanksgiving! Please leave a review!

If you haven't, please check out my new story, You Complete Me. I just uploaded chapter 6!. You can find the link to the story on my profile under the "My stories" tab.


	27. Chapter 27 Nine of Swords

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 27 Nine of Swords**

**Characters: Emmett, Edward, Bella, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Esme, Carlisle, Kitty, Mr. Hale and his personal security details**

**Emmett POV **

Half an hour after I called Edward, Bella finished making the calls to cancel Jasper's appointment. I kept my eyes on all the cars that passed by or parked near the boutique. When Bella came out I quickly escorted her back to the car and started the drive. I didn't want to scare her so until I was sure that we were really being followed, I decided to keep her in the dark. After I started the car to head back to the hospital I spotted the blue Impala again. I immediately tensed up. I couldn't see the driver yet. I kept my eyes on the car and pulled over to see if the car would stop behind me. I felt a sense of relief when the car kept going past my car.

"Is something wrong, Emmett?" Bella asked confused because I had pulled over.

"There's nothing wrong. I forgot there was construction ahead. I'm going to turn around and go back to the hospital using a different route." I lied to Bella so that I wouldn't have to tell her the real reason why I pulled over.

When we finally pulled into the hospital car park I quickly scanned the lot for the blue Impala. I was relieved when I didn't spot the car here. I quickly escorted Bella into the hospital and found Edward pacing outside of Alice's room.

As soon as Edward saw us he rushed over and hugged Bella. "I'm so glad you're safe," he said to Bella. I scowled at him and shook my head.

"Wow, did you miss me that much? If I'm going to be met with such exuberance I should be away from you more often," Bella said and chuckled.

"I always miss you. I'm always excited to see you. Kitty's sitting by Alice's bed. I'll see you in a minute. I'll be there as soon as I speak to Emmett," Edward said and held the door open for Bella and she hurried into the room.

"She doesn't know?" Edward asked with his brows furrowed.

"I thought maybe it would be better if you told her instead of me. The Impala followed us for a little while from the boutique but I pulled over and it went past us. As far as I know, the Impala didn't follow us all the way to this hospital." I explained to Edward.

"I assume we're safe as long as we're here, but we need to leave in the evening. I wonder if it's safe to go back home. We should probably talk to Dad. Is Rose coming back here or is she staying home?" In the midst of this craziness I totally forgot about Rosalie. I couldn't believe myself. Edward realized what I had done from my expression. "Oh boy. Em, hurry back home. I'll keep an eye out on everyone here. Thank you so much for taking care of Bella." He squeezed my shoulder and I nodded.

I rushed back home and as soon as I got inside I hugged Rosalie really tight. "I'm so sorry babe." I whispered to Rose.

"What are you talking about Em?" Rose raised her eyebrow and looked confused.

"There's something going on that I need to tell you. It may or may not be related to Alice. Let's sit down."

"Em, you're scaring me." Rose lost color in her face.

"At this moment only Edward and I know what's going on. After I took Bella to the boutique I noticed a red haired woman staring at the boutique and when our eyes met she dashed into a blue Chevrolet Impala and took off but when we left the boutique that same car was on our tail so I pulled over and it went past us. Right now we don't know where the car is, why it seemed to follow us, and whether we are safe or not." I explained.

In dire situations Rose was always the stronger one. She got her phone out and quickly called her father and explained the situation. He called us back and told us to stay put. He made arrangements to send a security team to our place here and to the hospital. He told me to call Edward or my father to explain the situation. For all we know this could just be nothing but it was better to be safe. As soon as I was off the phone with Rosalie's Dad, I called Edward.

"Hey. So here's the deal. I spoke to Rose's Dad and he told all of us to stay put. You need to talk to Dad and Jasper. Don't tell Bella and Mom just yet. They'll just freak out. We can explain to them after we know more. We don't really know if anyone is in danger or not but I think it's wiser to take precaution." I explained to Edward.

"Thanks Em. I hope all this is just a figment of our imagination and what happened to Alice was just an accident," Edward said.

"So, Alice hasn't woken up yet?"

"Unfortunately she hasn't. I hope she does so that Jasper can get some sleep. He's bound to have another anxiety attack if she doesn't wake up soon."

"Be careful at the hospital. I'm sorry I had to leave," I said to Edward. I felt really bad but now that Bella was back with Edward, my priority was to protect Rosalie so I couldn't leave her side nor take her to the hospital and expose her to any kind of threat.

**Edward POV**

I still couldn't believe what was happening. Right now all I could do was trust in Emmett's instinct. I really hoped that this was all just something he just imagined and that there was no real threat.

"Dad, I need to talk to you." I said to Dad and we went to the cafeteria.

"What's wrong?"

"I hope there's nothing wrong but I need to alert you about something."

"Go on. I'm listening."

"I got a call from Emmett few hours ago that there was a woman watching him and Bella at the boutique and when they left the car that the woman hopped into followed them for a while and took off after Emmett pulled over. He decided to take precaution and called Mr. Hale. Mr. Hale is sending a security team to us. Right now this could all just be nothing but because we don't know whether what happened to Alice was an accident or if she was attacked, it would be better if we took precaution."

Dad looked shocked and took a while to form a coherent sentence. He suddenly looked scared and took his phone out. "Esme, where are you? I need you to come to the cafeteria right now. Where's Kitty? What? Stay put. Edward and I'll be there," he said to Mom.

"Dad? What's going on?"

"We need to go to the lobby now. Esme can't find Kitty." Dad yelled and took off and I ran after him.

We ran to the lobby and found Mom. I felt all the tension I had built up while I ran to the lobby suddenly leave when I saw Mom crying with Kitty in her lap. I was surprised to see how quick Dad was. I couldn't even catch up to him when he ran down the hall to the lobby and he was already beside them holding them in his arms.

Kitty was wailing so I took her from Mom and sat down with her on my lap. "What just happened?" I asked Mom.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I took my eyes off Kitty to take your Dad's call. I panicked when I saw that Kitty was no longer at my side when I looked down. I finally found her around the corner and I scolded her for leaving my side. I didn't mean to yell at her but I just really panicked," Mom explained in tears.

"It's all right Mom. I'm sure Kitty understands you didn't mean to be so harsh. She knows you love her."

Kitty was still wailing so I held her tight and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Kitty, why did you leave Grandma's side?"

"He waved at me. I went to see him."

"Who's he, Kitty? Do you know his name? Is he someone you know or your mommy knows? Is he a doctor?"

"He was at the hospital." Kitty said to me.

Kitty didn't make sense to me. She didn't know enough words to explain to me and I felt frustrated. "Hospital here or another hospital?"

"Daddy's hospital."

"Hospital in Chicago?" I asked Kitty and she nodded. Did she see someone who used to be a doctor or someone who worked at the hospital in Chicago? "Where did he go, Kitty?"

"I don't know. He said he'll buy me hotdogs. I'm hungry, Edward."

I was upset that we were all caught up with one thing or another and hadn't taken care of Kitty. If she wasn't hungry she may have never left my Mom's side. The thought that Kitty could have been kidnapped or hurt made my stomach churn. "Kitty, promise me that you will never leave our side without asking permission, okay? Please don't talk to anyone if none of us are with you. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

"Okay, let's go get you some hotdogs." I said to her and we went towards the cafeteria with Dad and Mom behind us. I was so relieved no harm was done. I knew it wasn't Mom's fault but with all that was happening with Alice and the possible stalker we had neglected Kitty. Under normal circumstance I'm sure Mom would have never let Kitty out of her sight. I needed to tell Bella, she would be furious if I kept this from her but I thought it was best I refrained from telling her until I explained to her about the car that followed them.

Thankfully after Kitty ate she fell asleep in my arms. All the crying must have worn her out. I placed her in her stroller and headed to find Jasper. I handed Kitty over to Bella and whispered into Jasper's ear that I needed to talk to him about some security issues.

Jasper's eyes widened. He quickly nodded and followed me outside Alice's room. "What's going on, Edward?"

"We don't know if this is related to Alice, but when Emmett was with Bella at the boutique a red haired woman watched them. When she realized Emmett had spotted her she jumped into a car and took off but later when Emmett and Bella were returning to the hospital the same car followed them. Rose called her Dad and he's sending a security team to us. It's all just precaution but it just doesn't seem like a coincidence. To be honest I feel like this is connected to Alice's injuries."

Jasper looked deep in thought and nodded. "We shouldn't leave Bella, Kitty, and Alice alone in the room. Let's head back."

Jasper and I stood outside to guard Alice's door. Two men from Rose's Dad's personal security detail came over and introduced themselves to us. They both looked like they were in their thirties. One of the men, Kevin, looked almost as large as Emmett and the other slimmer but equally tall guy introduced himself as Jeff. Now that the security details were with us, I felt a sense of relief. I went inside Alice's room and sat with Bella and Kitty.

"Who were those people standing beside Jasper?" Bella asked. She must have seen Kevin and Jeff when I opened the door.

"I need to explain something to you but I need you to promise me that you will try to stay as calm as you can." I saw fear in Bella's eyes. I decided to give her as little information as possible so that she wouldn't feel like she was in real danger.

"I really need you to stay calm. Emmett thinks there was a car following you two to the boutique and from the boutique on the way back to the hospital." Before I could go on, Bella interrupted me.

"Was that why he pulled over and took another route to come back to the hospital?" Bella asked and I nodded.

"Emmett doesn't think he was followed to the hospital but we took precaution. Those men you saw are personal security detail Rose's Dad sent to us. This could just be nothing. We may be just over reacting but until we know that Alice's injury was just an accident and that none of us are being followed, we're going keep the security team with us at all times."

Bella's face turned white and she looked like she wasn't breathing anymore. I held her close to me and told her to breathe. After she calmed down she told me she wanted to go home. We were told that we couldn't return home as my place did not have 24 hour security. The chief of the security team called us earlier and told us it would be safer if we were all together so we were all going to stay with Rose and Emmett. Dad didn't want to leave the hospital but Mom really looked like she needed to be taken care of so he didn't argue and came along with us. We said our goodbyes to Jasper and he promised us that he would call us as soon as there was a change in Alice.

Rosalie greeted us with a hug when we all arrived at their place. Her eyes were red and puffy. She must have been crying. When we got to the living room Emmett came over to hug Mom, Bella, and Kitty.

Dad and I were escorted into the kitchen by Rose and Emmett as soon as Bella, Kitty, and Mom were settled in the living room. Sitting in the kitchen were Mr. Hale and another gentleman. Mr. Hale introduced the man to us. His name was Adam. He was the chief of Mr. Hale's personal security detail.

"We alerted the police and I spoke to them in details about the woman and the Chevrolet Impala that followed us. Were there anything suspicious at the hospital?" Emmett asked Dad and me.

"I'm not sure if it's anything related to this incident but Kitty took off at the hospital earlier and said she saw someone from Stephen's hospital in Chicago. She wasn't gone long but she really scared Mom."

"What? Mom let Kitty out of her sight?" Rosalie yelled fuming with anger.

"Rosie, I'm sure Mom didn't do it on purpose." Emmett said and rubbed her back. Dad looked apologetic and very uncomfortable.

Mr. Hale whispered something into Adam's ear, and Adam left the kitchen grabbing his cell phone out of his pocket. I assumed Adam left to alert Jeff at the hospital.

"Rosalie, this is not the time to lay blame on anyone. You're all exhausted and stressed out. Let's all try to keep calm. Everyone is safe now. It's probably nothing but Adam went to alert Jeff. They'll have the hospital security pull tapes to find out who Kitty was with during the brief moment she was away from Esme. We also have people looking at tapes from the apartment complex when Alice was injured and have requested to see some tapes from cameras around the boutique to see if we could spot the red haired woman Emmett saw stalking them." Mr. Hale explained to us.

"I'm sorry Carlisle. I didn't mean to snap." Rosalie apologized to Dad.

"Rosalie. There's no need to apologize. I shouldn't have left Esme with Kitty. I was the one who called Esme and made her loose her concentration. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"You all must be exhausted. I'll have someone send some food here. I'm sure you are all worried about Alice but worrying and exhausting yourselves won't help her. Eat, shower, and catch some sleep. I'll alert you all if I hear anything back from Adam. Call me if you need anything," Mr. Hale said and kissed Rosalie and left the house.

We all sat in silence and twenty minutes later several people from Mr. Hale's hotel came with 3 carts full of food. Kitty ran to the room service cart and plopped down on the carpet. She stared at all the cakes on the dessert tray. I think at that moment all the tension that we all held let loose and everyone laughed. Kitty was of course oblivious to what went on. This was like a party to her. I got up and sat down beside her. Emmett got up and sat beside her as well. We both got a fork and started to cut a bite off various cakes on the tray and fed Kitty. Kitty giggled and rolled around on the floor.

"Is it somebody's birthday?" Kitty asked.

"It's not anybody's birthday but Aunt Rose's Daddy gave us these cakes," I said to Kitty.

"Auntie Rose's Daddy is really nice." Kitty said and Rosalie laughed really loud clutching her stomach. Mr. Hale had been very generous and caring to us. From all that I've heard from Rosalie and Emmett over the years my impression of Mr. Hale was never positive but the way he had been treating us definitely changed my opinion of him. He must be very worried about Rosalie's well being right now. Although Rose hadn't mentioned it, I was quite sure her father must have suggested Rose to come home until this blew over.

Kitty seemed to have a relaxing effect on all of us. I saw Dad stretch his upper body and relax onto the couch. Rose joined Emmett, Kitty and I and stood in front of the room service cart and started to plate some food. She plated each of us some food. Kitty got up and sat on Rosalie's lap while she spoon fed her macaroni and cheese.

I went back to the couch and sat beside Bella and wrapped my arm around her shoulder. She smiled and leaned into me. Rose and Emmett said they'll take one of the two guest rooms and told us to use their bedroom since their bed was a King size bed and would fit Bella, Kitty and I comfortably. Since we had Kitty I didn't argue and thanked them for letting us use their bedroom. Kitty struggled to stay awake so I carried Kitty and led Bella to the bedroom.

While Bella tucked Kitty in bed, I went to draw a bath for Bella. It had been a very rough day for Bella. I still needed to tell her about the incident involving Kitty at the hospital. While Bella soaked in the tub, I sat down beside her tub.

"Are you going to just sit there or are you going to take a bath with me?" Bella asked smiling. I quickly took my clothes off and got in the tub behind Bella. I held her tight and took a calming breath to ready myself to tell her that we had lost Kitty for a few minutes at the hospital.

"Bella, I need you to tell something. Please don't freak out. When Mom was with Kitty at the hospital she took a call from Dad, and when she took her eyes off Kitty, Kitty was gone. Mom went frantic and searched for her. Kitty was just around the corner but she said something very odd to me. Kitty said she saw a man she knew from the hospital in Chicago. She doesn't know who it is. It could be a doctor or someone who worked there and transferred here. I'm sorry we lost Kitty."

"Edward, it's not your fault or your Mom's. Kitty knows better than to take off without anyone with her. I'm sure you already told her never to leave without anyone but I'll remind her tomorrow. I hope your Mom isn't beating herself about it. I'm ashamed to admit but I've lost her several times before at super markets and shopping malls. I should probably put a safety harness on her while we're at the hospital. I'll stop by the mall tomorrow and get one," Bella said.

I was relieved that she wasn't angry. She could've been just too exhausted to get angry. I just held her tighter and relaxed with her in the tub. We got out and got dressed quickly. We checked on Kitty and she was in deep sleep so Bella and I went to the living room and found Rose and Emmett watching T.V.

"Hey guys." Bella said to Rose and Emmett.

"Feeling better?" Emmett asked Bella.

"Much better. Thank you so much for giving up your bedroom for us." Bella said to them.

"Not a problem. Kitty's used to our bedroom so she would be more comfortable there than the guestroom. With all that happened today I thought Kitty probably needed you and Edward to sleep with her tonight. I mean if you and Edward want to just sleep alone in the guestroom that's fine too. Em and I can sleep with her." Rosalie said.

"Thanks for the offer Rose. I think I'd like to sleep with Bella and Kitty tonight. I don't really want them out of my sight," I said to Rosalie and Bella smiled at me.

"I'm gonna go make some hot chocolate. Do you guys want any?" Emmett asked Bella and me.

"I would love some." Bella said to Emmett.

"Me too. I'll help." I said to Emmett and went to the kitchen with him.

While we made hot chocolate, Emmett's phone rang. Emmett quickly picked up the phone and he was shaking. "Is Alice okay? Jasper?... all right I'll tell everyone and we'll be there as soon as we can," Emmett said. "Edward, that was Jasper. He said Alice opened her eyes for a few seconds and muttered something and closed her eyes again. Doctors are saying she will probably wake up soon again. I'll go wake Dad and Mom up. Jasper said that the security team will be here soon to pick us up to take us back to the hospital."

Fifteen minutes later, Adam and another guy pulled up into Emmett's driveway. Adam said he needed to talk to us before he took us to the hospital.

"Dr. Cullen, we think we have a lead on the case. We found a video of your granddaughter, Kitty, speaking to a man at the hospital. Your daughter's boyfriend, Jasper, at the hospital confirmed him as James. He told us he's the brother-in-law of your son Edward's girlfriend's late husband. After seeing the footage, Jasper thinks the words that came out of your daughter's mouth when she woke up could have been 'it was James' but he wasn't sure until he saw the footage. In light of this discovery we feel that it would be safer if your granddaughter and her mother stayed here instead of going to the hospital. Now that Jasper is sure that it was James who was at the hospital, he thinks maybe the red headed woman your son Emmett saw was Victoria, who is James' wife." Adam explained the situation to Dad.

Bella gasped and shook from fear beside me. I held her tight and she sobbed into my chest. "Shhh, don't cry. You're safe. Kitty's safe. Alice will be up soon. You have nothing to worry about. We're all going to be okay." I whispered into Bella's ears.

"I have to go. I have to see Alice. This all happened because of me." Bella said and sobbed.

Dad got up and sat beside Bella. "Bella, this isn't your fault. Please stay here. I don't want you or Kitty getting harmed. Alice would never forgive us if we put you in harm's way. Edward, please stay here with Bella and Kitty. You all can visit once Jasper and Emmett speak to the detective on Alice's case and we have a better handle on the situation." Dad said to us.

Bella frowned but nodded in agreement. I wanted to go and see Alice but right now my priority was to take care of Bella and Kitty. I knew Alice and Jasper would forgive me for staying behind to protect them.

Adam and Kevin stayed behind and the other guy who came with Adam drove Dad, Mom, Emmett, and Rosalie to the hospital. After they left, Adam told me there was more he needed to discuss with Bella and me.

"Until your sister is conscious and able to explain what happened the police cannot question James, but fortunately for us we found out that James has a warrant out for embezzlement so the police can arrest him as soon as they find him. We think he's probably here to threaten your girlfriend for money so that he could flee the country. With this new information I'm sure it will be easy to track their rental car and make an arrest." Adam said to us.

Bella covered her mouth gasping. "He's wanted by the police?" Bella asked and Adam nodded.

I felt sick in my stomach now that I knew that Kitty could have been kidnapped and thankful Mom found her before James took her. There was no evidence that James intended to kidnap Kitty but I wasn't fooled. I was sure that was his main objective.

I rubbed circles on Bella's back so that she could relax. "Bella, the most important thing is that Kitty is safe and sound asleep in bed." I whispered into her ears.

Adam told us that they were both going to be here so we should go and catch some sleep. He told us he would take us to the hospital in the morning when it would be easier to keep an eye on us. I thanked them both and led Bella to the bedroom.

Bella looked shocked but more than anything she looked sad. She blamed herself for all that happened to Alice. I had no doubt that James was involved in Alice's injury but I didn't want Bella to dwell on it. It was not her fault for having a psycho brother-in-law.

We went to bed with Kitty asleep between us. When I realized how close both Kitty and Bella could have been hurt there was no way I would ever let them sleep without me around. When this was over I would ask her to move in with me. I could no longer wait till Bella had Matthew. With what happened to Alice at the apartment I was pretty sure Alice would never want to go there so Jasper would probably move in with Alice, and without Jasper and Alice in the apartment complex I was sure Bella wouldn't want to live there anymore either. One positive thing that came out from this messed up situation was that Bella, Kitty, and I would finally live together. We could finally start living like a family. I was sure that Alice would take all the credit and say that she was the one who enabled us to live together and I would let her. I really hoped that they would arrest James very soon so that things could go back to normal.

**A/N **

I'm sorry I hadn't updated in two weeks. I just couldn't get into it. New Moon started on Nov. 29th here in Tokyo so I finally got to go last weekend. My best friend and I happened to go on the day that they were handing out the Volvo/New Moon promotion poster. It was kinda cool. I wonder if this promo was Japan only.

I hope you liked this chapter. I sort of realized I'm not very good at writing angst. I think that's why I was stuck. Glad that part is over now. Things will lighten up in the next chapter and expect the good ol' romance between Edward and Bella again.


	28. Chapter 28 The Empress

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

I think I got my mojo back after watching New Moon. Ideas flowed smoothly so this chapter was easy to write. I hope you like it!

Thank you Lauren and jasperbaby for the review. I can't personally send you a PM so here is my thanks to you both.

**Chapter 28 The Empress**

**Characters: Bella, Edward, Alice, Kitty, Carlisle, and Mr. Hale's personal security detail**

**Bella POV**

Everyone except Edward, Kitty and I left for the hospital. I really wanted to go and I was sure Edward wanted to go as well. I felt really guilty Edward stayed behind. I tried to convince him that Kitty and I would be fine without him here since Adam and Kevin were here to protect us but he insisted on staying. He must've been really tired as he fell asleep as soon as he got under the covers. He now lay curled with Kitty clutched onto his chest. In the beginning when Edward started sleeping in my apartment Kitty usually curled to my side when we all slept together but lately she started to cling onto Edward. The sight of them curled together always put a smile on my face. They looked so peaceful and happy together.

Since I lay down tonight so many different scenarios ran through my head. I started to feel like we were a burden to the Cullens. If it weren't for me Alice wouldn't have gotten injured, and we all wouldn't have had to be protected from James. If Kitty and I hadn't walked into their lives things would have been normal. Esme and Carlisle wouldn't have had to worry about losing their daughter. Thankfully the injury Alice sustained wasn't life threatening but it could have easily been. No one blamed us but if Kitty and I never walked into their lives this all could have been avoided.

One of the things I considered was to leave Los Angeles tomorrow. I couldn't tonight as Adam and Kevin watched over us like hawks. There would be no way for us to slip out of here without them noticing. We would cause more harm than good if we left tonight. Not only would we cause trouble to the Cullens but also to Mr. Hale. If Kitty and I left, Edward would be heartbroken but it would be better than risking his life. Until James was caught there was no guarantee of safety. The thought of leaving Edward made my heart feel like it was being squeezed. I felt like I couldn't breathe. My eyes blurred with tears. I loved him so much but because I loved him I needed to leave him. I couldn't just leave without saying goodbye but if I said it to his face I wouldn't be able to leave. I would probably have to leave a letter instead. The more I thought of leaving him more tears ran down my cheeks.

I didn't realize I was making that much noise until Edward woke up. "Bella? Is something wrong?" Edward asked as he lifted his head from the pillow.

"Nothing's wrong. Go back to sleep."

"Bella, you're crying. What's wrong?" Edward said and sat up.

"Really, nothing is wrong. Please go back to bed." I said to him looking down so that he wouldn't see the tears in my eyes.

Edward jumped out of bed and rushed over to my side. He sat down and wrapped his arms around me. "Please tell me what's wrong. Please don't hide anything from me. I love you. If you're hurt, I hurt too," he said and looked into my eyes as he held my face in his hands.

"I…I…I was thinking …about …leaving Los Angeles."

"What? What do you mean? You want to leave Los Angeles?"

"I thought maybe it would be for the best if Kitty and I left Los Angeles. We don't want more harm done to you all. If we no longer stayed near you all, then James would leave too," I said to Edward and I saw anger flash in Edward's eyes.

"I can't believe you considered leaving us. Can't you see how much we all love you? Every single one of us would gladly be hospitalized if it would protect you and Kitty. Clearly you don't see that. What can we do to make you see how important you two are to us? You're a mother for god's sake. Why would you consider something that may risk harm to Kitty and the baby? Do you know what the stress from running away could do to the baby? You could end up with a miscarriage. Have you even thought about that? Have you thought how hurt we all would be if we lost you all? Have you considered physical pain from an injury would be nothing compared to the emotional pain we would all endure if we lost you all? I love you so much. Have I not shown you how much I love you two and I need you two? You, Kitty, and the baby are part of me now. You all are my life now. I can't lose you," Edward yelled in tears.

"I'm so sorry. Please don't be angry at me. I just thought that if we left at least there would no longer be a risk of you all getting hurt by James." I said to Edward as I rubbed the tears off his face.

"Well you thought wrong. If you and Kitty left it would devastate us. My parents would feel like they lost their grandchild and a daughter. Rose, Emmett, Alice, and Jasper would feel like they lost their niece and sister. I would no longer have a reason to live," Edward said as he gripped the sheets. The force he had in his grip made a rip through the sheets.

"I'm sorry. So sorry. I was stupid. I love you and I don't want to lose you all either. I love you all, that's why I thought of leaving," I said to Edward and tears rolled down my cheeks continuously. Edward was a blur to me. I couldn't see him through my tears.

Edward's face was red from anger. "I need to go clear my head," he said and left the bedroom.

I felt horrible and stupid. Edward was exhausted but I just ruined his sleep. I had no idea how I could make things better. We've never argued once until now. This was our first argument and it was catastrophic. I just put a huge crack in our relationship. Maybe it's for the best. Maybe it will now hurt less if Kitty and I left tomorrow. I let Edward's words run through my head over and over again. The more I thought of it, the more I realized how wrong I was. I was really selfish to think that leaving was the solution to it all. None of us would be happy if we left. Kitty would be devastated if I took her away from Edward. She would miss Grandma Esme and Grandpa Carlisle. She would miss Auntie Alice, Auntie Rosalie, Uncle Em, and Uncle Jazz. She would only have me. Edward and Stephen would never forgive me if anything happened to Kitty and Matthew.

All of this was overwhelming and my stomach started to churn. I went to the bathroom and hugged the toilet to throw up. The stress was making me sick and I started to have abdominal pains. I've had this type of pain lately and from experience with Kitty I knew it was nothing serious. They were from the stretching of the muscles in my uterus. I had spoken to Carmen as well and she had assured me not to worry when I mentioned it to her my last checkup. I needed to relax so that the pain would go away but I couldn't move. I felt miserable, heartbroken, and sick in my stomach. The bathroom floor was cold and I was too sick to reach for the rug. I don't know how long I sat on the bathroom floor. I shivered from the cold. My limbs were now numb and I felt chilly all over. I needed help to get up. I still felt nauseous but I needed to get off the floor. I rubbed my stomach and tried to will away the pain. I crawled taking a break every few seconds. When I reached the door I cried out to Kitty. "Kitty, Kitty. Help me, Kitty." I don't remember how many times I repeated calling out to her. I felt like I was going to pass out soon.

Relief rushed through when the door to the bedroom opened and the hallway light shined in. I thought Edward returned to the bedroom. "Mr. Cullen. Mr. Cullen." The person who lifted me off the floor yelled. I realized it wasn't Edward who came into the door.

Kitty woke up from the yelling and started to cry. "Mommy, Mommy. I'm scared."

I needed to take care of Kitty but I felt so cold, nauseous, weak and couldn't move or speak. Then I heard Edward's voice. "Oh my gosh, Bella. Oh my gosh. What happened?" Edward asked to the man who was carrying me.

"I heard a distressed voice so I came to check this room out and saw her crumpled outside the bathroom door. She's got cold sweat and her lips are blue," the man holding me said to Edward. I assumed it was Kevin since he didn't sound as old as Adam did.

"Please put her on the bed and watch her. I'll go and get my medical bag." Edward said to Kevin.

"Bella? Can you hear me? Bella, can you open your eyes?" I heard another voice. I could tell it was Adam now. I felt too sick to verbally reply back to him so I squeezed his hand.

I felt the bed sink beside me and there were sounds of someone going through a bag. I realized it was Edward trying to get things out of his medical bag. I felt him check my pulse and the cold touch of the stethoscope. "Love, hang in there. Let's get you warmed up," he said to me. "Adam, could you go and run a bath for me? I need to raise Bella's body temperature. In the mean time I'll give her some I.V. fluids," Edward said to Adam.

"Of course. Kevin, I need you to go back out and stay alert while I take care of Mr. Cullen's needs," Adam said to Kevin.

I felt worse than I did. I now caused unnecessary trouble to Adam, Kevin, and Edward because of my stupidity. "I love you. I'm sorry I left you alone," I heard Edward say while he brushed his thumb over my cheek. "You'll feel better soon. Your electrolytes are out of balance. The I.V. fluid will kick in soon. I love you baby. Hang in there," Edward said and kissed my forehead.

"The bath is drawn. If you need anything else I'll be just outside the door," Adam said and left.

Just ten minutes of the I.V. drip made me feel better. "Kitty was crying. Where's Kitty?" I asked Edward.

"Don't worry. Adam calmed her down and she's sound asleep now. She'll be fine."

"I'm so sorry. I keep messing up."

"Baby, you didn't mess up. I did. I yelled at you and left you alone. I should have taken better care of you. I made you sick. I love you and I'm so sorry. Please don't ever say that you'll leave me. I can't live without you anymore. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you and Kitty. We have each other. Everything will be all right. Let's get you in the tub and warm you up," Edward said and carried me to the bathroom.

Edward sat beside the tub while I soaked. He looked worn out. I reached out and took his hand. "I love you. I'm sorry for acting so selfish. I didn't mean to. Everything I do seem to have a negative effect. I can't do one thing right. I'm sorry I hurt you."

"There's no need to apologize. I understand where you were coming from. If I was in your shoes I may have considered the same but that doesn't mean I like what you considered doing. Just promise me never to leave us," he said and smiled. "Let's get you out of the tub and I'll go and see if there's any soup left I could heat up for you. You need a little something in your stomach," Edward said and helped me out of the tub. He helped me get back into my pajamas and carried me to the living room.

"I'm glad to see some color back in your face. You were so pale earlier. Good thing your boyfriend is a doctor," Adam said and smiled.

After we caught a few more hours of sleep, Edward was woken up with a phone call from Carlisle. "That's great news Dad. I'm so glad to hear that Alice is fully awake now. How is she?...That's good. I'm glad there's no permanent damage. How long does she still need to be there?...Oh well, two weeks isn't so bad concerning the injuries she sustained. I hope she doesn't cause too much trouble to the doctors and the nurses. I don't know how she could go without shopping for two weeks." I heard Edward chuckle. "All right Dad, we'll be there soon. Give my love to Alice. See you all later. Bye," Edward said and hung up. "I've got great news. That was Dad. Alice is up and all seems to be good. Let's get ready to go to the hospital."

"That's wonderful news. I'm so glad to hear that she's up. I can't wait to see her. Should we go and alert Adam and Kevin?"

"I'll go and talk to him while you jump in the shower. I'll go ahead and dress Kitty and make some breakfast for her," Edward said and gave me a kiss.

When I got out of the shower, Kitty sat on counter while she watched Edward make pancakes. Kitty noticed me and reached out for a hug. "Good morning baby," I said to Kitty and gave her a kiss.

"Edward is making pancakes for me," she said with a huge smile on her face.

"Aww that's so sweet isn't it. Did you thank him?"

"Oopsies. Thank you Edward."

"Baby, you don't have to thank me. I'm making pancakes for you because I love you," Edward said and kissed Kitty.

"Bella, can you take these to the coffee table for Adam and Kevin? Thanks," Edward said and handed me two plates of pancakes, scrambled eggs, fried tomatoes, and sausages.

"Good morning Adam and Kevin. Here's some breakfast. Would you like some coffee, tea, Orange juice, or milk with that?"

"Coffee for me. Thank you," Adam said .

"Me as well. Thank you," Kevin said and smiled.

When we got to the hospital we were told to go to the waiting room directly instead of Alice's room. She was being questioned by the police with the Cullen's lawyer present. The Cullen's lawyer was there to make sure Alice didn't say anything that James could use against her later in court. Carlisle explained to me that the main thing they were pursuing here was to get a restraining order on James to stay away from all of us. James was already wanted for the crime of embezzlement in Chicago so once he was caught he would be taken back to Chicago but Carlisle wanted to make sure James couldn't come near us legally.

According to what Alice told Carlisle and the lawyer she said James hadn't physically harmed her but he verbally abused her to the point she got scared and fell off the stairs. She said she blacked out so she had no idea what happened after she blacked out but she did remember them running down the stairs towards her but do not remember if they fled or assaulted her physically. The lawyer assured them that were reason enough to get the restraining order.

Carlisle said that none of them wanted to get dragged through court too long so they didn't want to press charges against James for assault unless it was necessary to get him arrested here in Los Angeles but the lawyer assured him that he already had a warrant for arrest so they wouldn't have to press charges for the assault but he advises them to do so. Carlisle said Alice had no wish to be put on stand or to drag me and Kitty in it as it was evident that I would also be put on the stand by James' lawyer if Alice pressed charges for verbal assault that led to injuries and fleeing the scene of an accident.

Alice's wishes were to go back to normal as soon as possible and to make sure that James could no longer come near us again. Carlisle emphasized that Alice didn't want hers or my life disrupted anymore.

An hour later the detectives were done with the questioning and left with the Cullen's lawyer. We finally got to go and see Alice.

As soon as I opened the door and met Alice's eyes she squealed at us. "BELLA! KITTY! EDWARD! I missed you guys sooooo much. Hurry and let me give you a hug!" She shouted.

"Wow, you sure have more energy than usual. That's scary," Edward said and laughed.

"Eh, I was asleep so long my energy tank is full and overflowing at the moment," Alice chuckled. "Oh I'm so glad to see you guys. Oh Bella, I heard that James even got to Kitty. I'm so glad he didn't do any harm," Alice said and pulled Kitty towards her and kissed her forehead. Kitty snugly sat on Alice's bed and curled up on her good side.

"Anything we can do for you to help you feel more comfortable, sis?" Edward asked.

"Oh you're a life saver. I was waiting for someone to offer me assistance. The food sucks here and I'm starved. I need some real food. Now that I'm up, Jasper could use a little break. He needs to shower and catch some sleep. I don't want to sound unappreciative but he really stinks. I probably do too but they won't let me bathe until they run more tests on me later in the day. I had mom wash my hair using a little basin earlier. There was no way I was seeing the detectives and the lawyer when I looked like I hadn't washed my hair in days," Alice laughed. "Anyway, tell Jasper to go to my place to shower and catch some sleep. On his way back from the hospital tell him to stop by Rosti's and get me Minestrone soup, grilled shrimp salad, and linguini vongole."

"Well, other than food, is there anything you need?" I asked Alice.

"I need my laptop, planner, sketchbook and color pencils. Since I'm going to be here for at least another two weeks I might as well do some designing for the spring/summer line." I was glad to see that she really seemed much better. She was back to being Alice.

"Well now that you look like your good ol' self, I'm gonna go and see if I can squeeze Bella into Carmen's schedule to get her checked out. She still looks pale today and her blood sugar and blood pressure was low last night."

"Edward, I'm all right. I'd rather stay with Alice."

"Nonsense, Bella! Oh my gosh, you were sick yesterday? What are you doing here??? Go and get checked up. My Matthew could be sick. You two go! You can leave Kitty here with me, Mom, and Dad. The rest of you can all go. I'll have someone make sure Kitty is fed and she can nap in my bed."

"Umm, I don't think they'll let Kitty sleep in your bed, but I'm sure you're resourceful enough to convince them," Edward said and laughed. "Well I'm going to step out and make the call and see what Carmen's schedule is like," Edward said and left the room.

"Bella, I know that face. Stop looking like you're guilty. You had nothing to do with James being James. It's a pity he's so different from Stephen. There isn't an inch of humanity in that vile creature. Let's just forget all this happened and that he even exists. Let's put all this behind us and move on. Sooooo how was Vegas?"

Vegas. That seemed like ages ago. I can't believe it hadn't even been a week since we got back here from Vegas. So much happened that I forgot how beautiful the time Edward and I spent in Vegas was. "I had a fabulous time in Vegas. The food, the hotel, everything was surreal. Edward was so romantic."

"Come on Bella, details. I need details. Where did you go? What did you eat? Oh what did you get me for souvenir? Come on give this girl something to enjoy about. Last I heard from you was that you were going to have dinner at Bouchon after you had a ride on the gondola and went to Madame Tussaud's."

"Hmmm. Oh yeah now I remember. After dinner we went to the cactus garden in Ethel's chocolate factory then we headed back to the hotel and…" I remembered that we took a bath together and I blushed.

"Hey, what's that blush for? I saw that. Details. Bella, details."

"We took a bath together and he had aroma candles lit. You would have loved it. They were Agraria San Francisco's candles. Then we ordered some midnight snacks from the in-suite dining. The next morning he woke me up after the breakfast arrived. After breakfast I gave him the Lladro figurine I got him for Christmas. He loved it Alice. I was nervous but he loved it."

"Aww, I'm so happy for him. You are so good for my brother. He must've been so happy when he saw the figurine. Where did you two go after breakfast?"

"Oh Alice, you wouldn't believe it. He was so sweet. He took me to Anne Geddes at the Wynn and got Matthew some baby clothes."

"Wow, I had no idea Edward knew of Anne Geddes. He really must have done some internet search before he left for Vegas. Wow, I'm so proud of him. He wasn't a lost cause. I'm glad it was Edward and not Emmett. If you were stuck with Emmett, he would have bought Matthew ugly Lakers baby clothes," Alice said and laughed. "What happened after you both shopped at Anne Geddes?"

"We ate at BLT Burger at the Mirage, went to the botanical gardens at the Bellagio, and then he took me to dinner at Bartolotta at Wynn. He got us a private cabana. It was phenomenal. Then we went back to the hotel and he gave me a massage with the oil Rosalie gave him. He was so sweet to me," I said and blushed as I remembered that we made love in the morning.

"Okay, you can skip the details after the massage. I think I know what that blush meant." Alice winked. "What did you two do the next day?"

"We went to the Sterling buffet Emmett recommended and then went souvenir shopping. We got you the perfume from Payard. We sent a package full of pastries, jams, and chocolates. I wonder what happened to the package though. We couriered the package before we left Vegas."

"Oh you know what they arrived the morning before the accident. Jasper received them. Now that you mentioned it I remember him telling me he ate some of the pastries and the chocolates but didn't unwrap the little box that came with it. That must have been the perfume."

"I'm glad the pastries didn't go totally to waste."

"Well go on, what did you guys do after shopping?"

"He brought Italy to me."

"What? What do you mean he brought Italy to you?" Alice looked confused like I had lost my mind.

"He took me to Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas."

"Oh, I've heard of it. It's a Tuscan themed hotel wasn't it?"

"It was beautiful. We took a walk and had afternoon tea there. There were weddings and receptions going on and they all looked so happy. It felt like I was in a fairy tale."

"A fairy tale romance. It's so fitting. I can see you two getting married there," Alice said and winked.

"Alice!"

"Oh shush. So what came after it?"

"Everything was just amazing and it even got more amazing. He took me to Fleur de Lys. The floral sculpture of 3000 fresh cut roses was stunning and the food was so delicious I can't find the appropriate words to describe it. The next morning he took me to Egg Works for breakfast. He wanted me to have a relaxing casual time. The whole trip was unbelievable. It was so romantic and so sweet. Edward had taken care of all the details. Nothing went wrong. It was an out of this world experience."

"Aww, I'm so glad you two had a great time. I can't wait to see the pictures and videos. Tell Edward we need to have a little presentation of the pictures and the videos as soon as I get moved to my private room here."

"Alice, I don't think your parents or Emmett or Rosalie would be interested in our vegas pictures and videos but I'll make sure to tell Edward so you can see them. We need to get settled in first. I'm living on the clothes I took to Vegas and Rosalie's clothes."

"Oh, about that. I had a discussion with Jasper. We decided on Jasper moving into my place. It's too hard for him to see the place where I got hurt. I was hoping you would move in with Edward. I don't want you living there without us around. James knows your place but he doesn't know Edward's place."

"I don't know. I don't want to inconvenience Edward. I've done enough to cause you all pain."

"Bella, are you serious? Don't you realize how happy Edward would be if you moved in with him? If he asked would you move in with him?"

"I would move in with him in a heartbeat but I don't want to risk Edward getting harmed by James. Kitty and I should probably look for another place to live."

"Don't be ridiculous. You are either moving in with Jasper and me or with Edward. I'm sure Rosalie and Emmett would love to have you two live with them if it will stop you two from living alone."

"Alice, Edward hasn't even asked me to move in with him so why are we even having this conversation?"

"Bella, he always intended on you two moving in with him. Why do you think he even asked Mom and me to furnish his place? He even has Kitty's room there and he plans to change the other room into a nursery for Matthew. I know I shouldn't have told you this but you needed to hear this. He loves you. We love you. You two are family to us. I know he wants to ask you to move in with him. He's just worried that it might scare you or that you aren't ready yet. Bella, you said you would move in with him in a heartbeat.  
Don't wait for him to ask you. Just tell him you want to move in with him."

"I can't do that Alice. I'll wait for him to ask me."

"Well if you aren't going to ask him, then I will tell him to ask you then."

"Alice, please don't meddle in this. Please let him ask me in his own time. If he wants to, I'm sure he'll ask me when it's time."

I really didn't want her to force Edward to ask me to move in with him. I was sure that when he was ready, he would if that was what he wanted. At the rate Alice was going with this, I wasn't sure how I could stop her from acting on it.

"Hey, Carmen said she can see you during her lunch break at one o'clock. Unfortunately she wants to check you on an empty stomach so she wants you to refrain from eating until the checkup is over. Sorry love," Edward said and sat down beside me by Alice's bed.

"Edward, Jasper's going to move in with me. He doesn't want to live at his place anymore. I'm sure you assumed that. So, what are you going to do? Move in with Bella? Ask her to move in with you?" Alice blurted out to Edward and I scowled at her for meddling in our business.

"Ummm. I was hoping Bella would move in with me," Edward said with a smile on his face. "Bella, would you move in with me? I know you still have the lease and I originally planned to ask you to move in with me after the baby was born but with what happened I would really like it if you would move in with me now instead of later. You could sublet the place for the remainder of the lease or Alice could use the place to stock things from the boutique. I could have the movers pack everything up so that you don't even have to move a finger and I'd rather that you don't go near that place ever again."

I was lost for words. Alice had told me Edward's intention already, but hearing it from Edward was so different. He really wanted me to move in with him. I saw it in his eyes. I glanced towards Alice and she glared at me that I hadn't answered Edward yet. "Thank you for asking me. Kitty and I would love to move in with you. Are you sure, Edward? It would turn your life upside down. Are you sure you can handle living with a three year old? She's a handful."

"I couldn't be happier. I can't imagine living apart from you two anymore. I basically live at your place now. We're just changing location to my place that's all. Thank you for saying yes," Edward said and he had the sweetest smile on him. There was so much love in his eyes I knew at that moment that this was meant to be.

"You two are so silly, it's annoying. You two should have moved in together eons ago. Since Jasper was the one who got you the lease and he has to let go of his place too, let's just have Jasper take care of it okay?" Alice asked and I nodded. I didn't care what she did with the place. I didn't want to live there anymore anyway. "This is going to be so much fun. It's a good thing I have so much free time since I'm stuck here. I'll get started on designing the nursery with Mom," Alice said happily. I was going to scowl but when I saw how happy Edward looked I let it go. I didn't want to rain on their party.

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I wrote this chapter as quick as I could as an appreciation to you all for sticking by me through my writer's block. Thank you all for reading my story. If you would please leave me a review it would be great!


	29. Chapter 29 Ace of Pentacles

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

Please check out my profile under Chapter 29 for details in regards to Humpty Dumpty and etc. (Further info included in my end note of this chapter so that I don't give away any details written in this chapter!)

Thank you Lauren, for the sweet review. I wish I could send a PM to you, but you don't have an account so here is my appreciation.

For all the Edward Cullen fans, this chapter is all Edward POV.

**Chapter 29 Ace of Pentacles**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Kitty, Alice, and Esme**

**Edward POV **

It's been a week since Alice woke up and Dad went back home. Mom stayed behind to take care of Alice so that Jasper could get back to work. Jasper packed up his stuff and moved into Alice's yesterday. Bella and Kitty moved in with me but their things were still untouched back at their apartment. She told me she wasn't comfortable to have the movers pack her things. We decided that Mom would pack her things in her bedroom and some items from the kitchen that Bella wanted, Rosalie would pack things in the living room, and Emmett would pack the things in Kitty's room and load all the boxes into the truck that he would drive to my place. The rest we decided to have the movers pack and store it for now until we decided which furniture to bring to my place and which furniture to send to storage from my place.

The move went smooth and efficient thanks to Mom. She made sure Emmett didn't goof off and controlled Rosalie's bitching. Bella and I spoke to Alice and told her that we wanted her help on designing the nursery but that we wanted to be the ones to choose the mural and the furniture. Bella told me when Kitty was born Stephen was busy touring the world and she travelled along with him a lot that she never got to have a proper nursery for Kitty so she wanted to be involved in designing the nursery for Matthew. I also wanted to do this with Bella to show her that I really considered Matthew as my own. After much argument with Alice and Mom we settled discussing it together as a team. I don't know why Bella and I agreed on Mom and Alice's terms. I'm sure Bella and I were perfectly capable of picking all the things for Matthew's nursery but in the end Bella convinced me that it was for the best that we involved them. If it were up to me I would have ignored Mom and Alice and did everything ourselves.

We got a call this morning from the detective on Alice's case that they spotted Victoria and a man who resembled James in Texas. Victoria was seen withdrawing money from her account at an ATM in Texas. Since there was no warrant for her arrest in Chicago, her account had not been frozen and the police kept watch over all the activities in her bank account and her credit cards. Her hair had been cut and dyed blonde, but through facial recognition the police were able to identify her as Victoria. A man stood behind Victoria wearing a baseball cap with but he was looking down in the security tape of the ATM so they couldn't identify him as James but the man's height and build was an exact match to James. The detective told us that they would still keep watch over Bella's apartment complex incase James and Victoria return but they doubted James and Victoria would return to Los Angeles. The detective said they were most likely trying to find a way into Mexico.

Mom called us that Alice wanted to see us at the hospital to discuss the details about the nursery and to delivery her some food from A Cow Jumped Over the Moon in Beverly Hills. I suggested to Mom that we all eat at A Cow Jumped Over the Moon together and then head out to the hospital.

"Bella, Mom called. Alice wants us to deliver her food from A Cow Jumped Over the Moon. I suggested to Mom we eat there together," I said to Bella.

"I guess that's more convenient all though Kitty would probably prefer Cheesecake Factory instead, but it would be a pain to go to two places. Just try to make sure we don't go past Cheesecake factory. Kitty would go crazy over it."

"Let's eat at A Cow Jumped Over the Moon and have dessert at the Cheesecake factory. It wouldn't be fair to Kitty that she always has to do what the adults want. It's no big deal. I could even run over there with Kitty while you and Mom wait for us at the restaurant or in the car.

When we got to the restaurant Mom was already seated in the patio. Kitty seemed to be happy that we were not seated inside. Bella liked the fact that they had a make your own pasta on their menu. She selected penne for pasta and Sicilian Arrabiata sauce to go with it. I chose the pappardelle with the spicy vodka cream sauce and Mom chose the sesame crusted ahi tuna entrée. Bella chose the cheese fondue for Kitty so that she could have fun while she ate.

While Mom and Bella enjoyed their mocha flavored latte, I told them I was heading over to Cheesecake Factory with Kitty to get Alice and Kitty some cheesecake.

When we got to Cheesecake factory, Kitty ran to the glass showcase and stuck her face on the glass. She saw the 30th Anniversary chocolate cake cheesecake and it must have looked so tempting to her that she stuck her tongue out and licked the glass. My mind battled whether to laugh or to cringe.

"Yuck. Kitty, please don't do that. I'll get you the cake. Everyone touches the glass. It's full of germs. You're going to get sick." I felt like pulling her tongue and wipe it with antibacterial wipes. I know I needed to get used to children doing crazy things and that they wouldn't get sick over something this minuscule.

"Do you want that cake you licked over the glass or would you like something else?"

I decided to get us the Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake, 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cheesecake, Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake, and the Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake to take home. I chose Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake, Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Wild Blueberry White Chocolate Cheesecake, Craig's Crazy Carrot Cake Cheesecake, Dutch Apple Caramel Struesel and White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle to take to Alice. I was sure Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper would drop by later so I needed to make sure there were enough for everyone plus an extra piece for Alice. Kitty ended up choosing Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheesecake.

"Are you sure you want the Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheesecake? Wouldn't it be too sour for you? Wouldn't you rather have the oreo or the snicker bar one?" I was worried that the cheesecake wouldn't taste right to a child's tongue. It just didn't seem like something a three year old would want.

"It looks pretty. I like lemon."

"Really? You like lemons?"

"I always eat the lemon that Mommy gets when we have tea outside." Wow. I had no idea someone so young enjoyed lemons. I still wasn't too keen on sour things.

I had them pack the cheesecakes into three separate bags. One bag with just Kitty's cheesecake, the other to take to the hospital, and the other to take home with us. I gave a call to Bella to ask where they were now when Kitty and I arrived at the car park. She told me they just stepped out of the restaurant and was on the street level of the Rodeo Collection in front of Herve Leger. I told her to meet us by the car.

Since the time I started Bella's midnight ice cream and milkshake runs, I started carrying instant ice packs in my trunk. I was sure they were going to come handy today while I kept the cheesecakes to take home in the car while we went to visit with Alice.

Kitty had fun punching the instant ice packs. She wanted one for her cheesecake too. Even though we were going to be at the hospital in minutes, I gave her one just to keep her happy. She wanted to eat the cheesecake in the car but I told her to wait until we got to the hospital. I wasn't going to trust a three year old with a cake in my car. I already had bits of popcorn, M&Ms, cookie crumbs, Ritz Bits, and combos all over the backseat of my car. We didn't bring any change of clothing for Kitty today so Bella wouldn't be happy if Kitty got cream all over her dress from eating the cheesecake in the car. Kitty pouted and tried to work her charm on me but I was already used to her puppy eyes and pouts so I didn't crumble.

"Kitty, I love your puppy eyes and the pouts but they no longer work on me." I said and winked at her.

Kitty puffed her cheeks and acted as if she was upset but I poked her cheeks and she giggled.

Bella and Mom arrived when I finished buckling Kitty in her child seat. I glanced over and saw Mom head over to her car. I cleared some of my stuff from the back seat to make room for Bella. Lately I insisted that Bella sat in the back seat of my car even when it was just the two of us for safety reasons. Emmett said I drove like a grandma now, but when you have a child and a pregnant girlfriend with you, safety came first.

I even started looking at cars that would transport Bella, Kitty, Matthew and I comfortably once Matthew was born. I had my eye on the Mercedes Benz GL550 or Volvo XC90. I never thought of myself as a Benz type of guy, but one can't be picky when you have family.

So much had changed for me in the last 5 months. Not only did I work in L.A., but now I had Kitty, Bella, and we lived together. My place was fully furnished with a nursery on its way. Instead of sleeping in on my days off, I was up early making breakfast for Kitty and I enjoyed it. I even knew what each of the shelves had at our nearest Ralph's so I no longer wandered around looking for Jello pudding cups, Keebler's frosted animal cookies, and Pillsbury breadsticks. Lately I started lurking around the baby section looking at all the different diapers and wipes available. I could easily get a discount on the ones we have at the clinic but I wanted to make sure Matthew got the best on the market.

Both Bella and Kitty fell asleep on the short drive to the hospital. I didn't want to wake them up but Mom was already parked and walked towards my car.

I took my seat belt off and reached over to gently shake Bella since she didn't wake up when I called out to her.

"Oh. Are we at the hospital already? I'm sorry. I guess I fell asleep. Do you think you can carry Kitty? I'd hate to wake her up. She needs a little nap."

"Sure. I can do that. Let's have Mom carry the bag with the cheesecakes in it."

"I'm sure I can carry the bag. No need to ask your Mom."

"I'm not so sure. I don't think Alice would be too happy if you fell and also dropped the bag of cheesecakes," I said and chuckled.

While I unbuckled Kitty from the child seat even without asking Mom grabbed the bag with the cheesecakes. "Thanks Mom. I was going to ask you but you were way ahead." Mom just chuckled. She probably didn't want to risk getting the cakes messed up knowing how clumsy Bella was from the beginning and worse from being pregnant.

When we got to Alice's room she was busy looking through catalogues of baby furniture. I wondered where she got those so quickly.

"Thank god you guys are here. I was so bored. Jasper didn't stay too long. He had a few baby pictures to shoot. Ooooh. Cheesecake! How did you know I was in the mood for cheesecake? Do you have any with some kind of fruit? I'm in the mood for raspberry or blueberry."

"Slow down dear. Let us settle in first. You could at least greet us properly you know," Mom said and laughed.

"OH. My bad. Hi guys. How are you all beautiful people today? My day has sucked so far. The food is appalling and they don't have enough channels on the T.V. The only good thing was that Jasper got a lot of catalogues with baby furniture and items for me."

"That's too bad. Well here's the food you wanted. I chose the Marilyn Moon roll that has the crab meat, avocado, asparagus, cucumber, tuna carpaccio with spicy garlic sesame sauce, and The Rising Sun roll that has the spicy tuna roll topped with crispy shrimp tempura and cooked salmon in ponzu mayonnaise."

"Purrrrrfect. I knew I could count on you bro."

"And for dessert since you said you wanted either raspberry or blueberry I guess you can choose two from Chocolate Raspberry Truffle, Wild Blueberry White Chocolate Cheesecake, and White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle. The other 3 aren't raspberry or blueberry. They are Craig's Crazy Carrot Cake Cheesecake, Dutch Apple Caramel Streusel and Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake."

"Oh. They all sound so good. Well I want the Wild Blueberry White Chocolate Cheesecake. You guys can choose what you want and then I'll take the remaining one."

"No worries, Alice. Edward and I have some to eat at home in the car. Kitty has hers in a separate bag. Only your Mom needs to choose from the ones we brought here," Bella said to Alice.

"I see. Mom, which one do you want?"

"I think I'll have the Dutch Apple Caramel Streusel. I'll run down and get you all something to drink from the cafeteria," Mom said and headed out the door.

As soon as Mom was back Alice was in business. She whipped out the catalogues and we started discussing what to have on the walls. Mom first suggested on a Humpty Dumpty mural but I quickly shot the idea. "Mom, are you serious? Do you even remember that rhyme? Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall and all the King's horses and the King's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again! There's no way I want a reminder of death on my son's wall. Eesh!" I said to Mom.

"If I remember correctly BBC rewrote the rhyme in one of their children's show. Instead of 'couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again', they changed it to 'made Humpty Dumpty happy again'. So you could always teach Matthew the new version. Come on, I saw a really cute Humpty Dumpty chandelier you know." Alice said to back Mom up. "Or we could have a mural of Alice and Humpty Dumpty together from the Looking Glass," Alice said and grinned.

"Yeah and BBC went under fire for it. They said it was changed for creative purpose and not for making it politically correct. It's bogus. Many children's stories are written to warn the kids of danger in the world. Regardless, I don't want something so grim in my son's room."

"I like the idea of children's story though. How about Peter Rabbit? I always loved Beatrix Potter. Do you think it's a bit girly?" Bella asked.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Mom agreed with Bella. She pulled out some samples of the Peter Rabbit mural. Bella liked one of them but said she wanted the main background changed to pastel yellow or cream instead of the pink like in the sample.

Then we went to decide on the crib. Alice and I both thought that a sleigh shaped crib would be really nice. Bella and Mom agreed and we found an espresso colored one. It came with a matching armoire, changing table, and cradle so we decided on getting those 4 matching pieces. Thankfully Mom and Alice were smart and didn't show Bella the prices of the furniture.

Mom and Alice battled over the color of the bedding. I knew Bella wanted something simple so I suggested the champagne colored bedding. The room that was going to be converted to the nursery had champagne colored carpeting. I didn't want to get some stereotypical blue bedding for Matthew. Mom found a nice looking champagne bedding set from the catalogue. Bella thought it was really beautiful so we decided on it.

Bella yawned and looked like she was satisfied with the nursery furniture. "Do you want to leave the curtains, lighting, and other knick knacks to Mom and Alice?"

"I think so. I feel our job is done here. Thank you Alice and Esme."

"Yay! Now Mom and I can iron out the fine details. Leave it to us, we'll make sure Matthew's nursery would outshine any other baby's nursery," Alice said and looked ecstatic.

We said our goodbyes and left the hospital. It was nice that we no longer had Adam or Kevin with us. Bella was always with me or with Jasper. Since Mom was still here, Kitty spent the hours with her when Bella was at the boutique. Mr. Hale told us not to hesitate to call him to have someone stay with Bella if Jasper or I couldn't be with her. It was nice to finally have things back to normal.

While I played with Kitty in her room, Bella went to prep for dinner. She said she was making Italian Wedding soup. Evidently Kitty loved it and it was a sure way for Kitty to eat veggies.

While we ate dinner, I noticed Kitty squirming in her chair. "Kitty, is something wrong?"

"I'm itchy here and here," Kitty said pointing to her back and her throat.

I went to Kitty and sat her on my lap. As soon as I lifted her I noticed that she was feverish. There were red splotches on her neck and her chest as well. I unzipped her dress and checked her back. She was splotchy on her back as well.

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry I left this chapter semi cliffy. It wasn't meant to be written that way. This chapter is 8 pages long on MS Word and the latter half is already 14 MS Word pages long so I had to cut it into 2 chapters. I'm almost done writing the latter half.

If anyone is interested in finding out more about the happy ending given to Humpty Dumpty on BBC's CBeebies, please check out my profile for Chapter 29. I have the link to the article in case anyone wanted more details.

There are also the links to Matthew's nursery's mural, drapery, furniture, bedding, lighting etc. in the profile as well if anyone wants to see what Edward, Alice, Esme and Bella were talking about in this chapter.

It would be great if you could leave a review! Thank you!


	30. Chapter 30 Ace of Pentacles Part 2

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

Article from Associated Content/Health and Wellness – Chicken Pox Vaccine wears off March 17th, 2007.

Thank you "anon" for leaving me a review.

**Chapter 30 Ace of Pentacles part 2**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Esme, Kitty, Rosalie, and Emmett**

**Edward POV**

"Bella, Kitty has chicken pox. You didn't vaccinate her?" I asked making sure I didn't sound like I was blaming her.

Bella sighed. "Stephen read somewhere that the lifespan of the chicken pox vaccine wasn't for life and that kids who had been vaccinated ended up with a severe case of chicken pox later so he opted not to vaccinate her for it."

"Well, it's a good thing she has chicken pox now because 2 doses of the vaccine is mandatory here in California. She wouldn't have been accepted into first grade so we would have had to vaccinate her later. I should probably check Kitty's immunization record and discuss with you if she's missed anything else that's mandatory here in California. Once I'm back at the clinic I can pull out the list of vaccines the schools around here require so that we wouldn't have to deal with it at the last minute when she goes to elementary school. It would be more hassle to try to get an exemption than getting her immunized. I can explain to you what each of the vaccines do and what the possible side effects are so you can decide based on medical certainty. Anyway, I need you to grab some Tylenol for Kitty so we can reduce her fever. Make sure it's not aspirin. Aspirin with chicken pox can cause Reye's syndrome which may cause her to have brain damage and could be fatal. We could treat her with oral acyclovir. It would decrease the symptoms or I can treat her with herbs to help the discomfort."

"What would you do? Does she need the acyclovir?"

"She doesn't have any pulmonary disorders or immune problems so it's not necessary."

"She sometimes complains of tummy ache when she takes medicine so unless it's necessary I prefer not to have her medicated. I have a question though. Should I be worried that I'm around Kitty?"

"You don't need to worry. Carmen did a titer on you to check if you had the antibodies for chicken pox. Your result was positive so you're safe. I'll call Mom to pick up some things from the drugstore to help Kitty feel more comfortable."

"That's a relief. I should have asked Carmen myself. I'm glad you remembered. Oh and you don't need to call your Mom. Just go to the drugstore. We can wait. I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Bella, I'm not going to risk the safety of you two. James hasn't been caught yet. Mom is coming here for Kitty tomorrow when you go to work anyway. I'm sure she wouldn't mind coming over tonight. Let's just concentrate on getting Kitty better."

I picked up the phone and called Mom. "Hi Mom. Did I catch you at a bad time?... I need to ask you a favor. Kitty has the chicken pox and I don't want to leave them alone to run to the drugstore. Do you think you can pick up Pedialyte, Pedialyte freezer pops, calamine lotion, Aveeno soothing bath treatment, oatmeal flour, Burdock, Echinacea, and Goldenseal?... Alice or Rose would know where to get the Burdock, Echinacea, and Goldenseal… Great! Thanks, Mom. It would really help us out you came to stay with us tonight… All right, I'll see you soon. Thanks, Mom."

"That's a lot of stuff! What are all those herbs for?"

"I don't want the symptoms to get severe. I'm going to make a paste with the burdock and oatmeal flour to apply on her skin to help reduce the itch and speed up the healing. Echinacea and Goldenseal soothe the mucous membranes and has antiviral properties."

"I didn't know you knew so much about homeopathic treatments."

"It's something I've been studying on my own time. I just learned the healing properties of those herbs for chicken pox recently. We sometimes have children who are allergic to the prescription medication so as an alternative Eleazar hired a doctor practicing homeopathic treatment at our clinic."

I noticed Kitty started to play with her food. "I'm not hungry anymore," Kitty said and frowned.

"Baby, it's your favorite soup," Bella said with a worried look.

"You're not hungry or are you too itchy to eat?" I asked Kitty. Kitty just looked like she didn't know how to describe how she felt.

"Tell you what, why don't I make you some fruit smoothies instead? Would you like that?" Kitty nodded smiling.

"I can make them. It's the least I can do."

"Bella, I'll make them but could you clip her nails and find her some mittens or gloves to wear? She's going to start feeling the itch more soon and we want to make sure she doesn't scratch herself. I'll tape the mittens on with the surgical tape to make sure she can't take them off."

It was heartbreaking to watch Kitty squirm from the itch. I was used to treating children but I realized how painful it was when it happened to your own. Lately I noticed that my feelings towards Kitty changed. Until recently I loved Kitty because she was so adorable and that she was Bella's daughter, but lately whenever Kitty was sad I felt sad, whenever she was happy it made my heart soar, whenever she was hurt I wanted the pain gone. Kitty had become a vital part of me and I really felt like she was my own.

I changed Kitty into her soft flannel pajamas so that she would feel comfortable while we waited for Mom. Bella and Kitty both enjoyed the fruit smoothies I made for them. With all the stress Bella had been under lately, her immune system was probably down and the vitamin C in the fruit smoothie would certainly help.

Mom arrived much quicker than I expected. "Hi Mom. I'm surprised you're here so quickly."

"I was worried about Kitty so I just got the things I was able to get at the drug store and asked Rosalie to get the herbs and drop it by later. I'm sure Kitty could use the Aveeno soothing bath treatment sooner than later," she said and handed Bella the bath product. Bella headed to the bathroom to draw a bath for Kitty.

"Do you think Kitty caught the pox from visiting Alice at the hospital so much?" Mom asked.

"Most probably, but it's a good thing she caught it now than later. "

"Well dear, it's a good thing you're a pediatrician but take her to Eleazar next time Kitty gets sick. I'm suggesting this from experience. Your father had the hardest time treating you kids. It's not easy to treat your own. Some of the things your Dad had to do inflicted pain and it hurt him badly to watch you all in pain. He had the hardest time stitching Emmett and it happened really often. It won't be any different with you. I could see it in your eyes that you consider Kitty as your own. The way you look at Kitty is so different from the way Alice and Jasper look at Kitty and they've known her since the day she was born. You look like your father when he sees you kids. You really love her as your own, dear," Mom said and hugged me.

Bella returned from the bathroom to get Kitty. "Bella dear, I'll bathe Kitty. You look exhausted and squatting would strain your back. You both haven't even finished dinner," she said to her. "Edward, go reheat the stew. I can take care of Kitty."

"Esme, you're tired too. Really, I can take care of Kitty."

"Please let grandma spend time with her granddaughter. You're only letting me do what I wish to do." Mom smiled at Bella.

"Thank you. Please let me know if she gives you any trouble. She gets very fussy and crabby when she's sick."

"Bella, I've raised three of the crabbiest kids in this world. Don't worry," Mom said and chucked.

"Mom! I wasn't a crabby kid."

"Well out of the three you were the easiest, but still you were not easy to handle when you were sick. I didn't have to bribe you with anything like I had to with Emmett and Alice but in a way it was harder because of that. Nothing made you happy when you were sick. At least Emmett was happy with ice cream and Alice was happy when I promised her I'd buy pretty dresses if she took her medication."

I frowned at Mom and glared at Bella for laughing. Mom headed to the bathroom with Kitty in her arms.

"It's so nice to have your Mom around."

"You and me both. Mom can sleep in Kitty's room and I'll sleep with Kitty in the living room couch sleeper. She's probably not going to sleep much and I want to keep an eye on her. You need to sleep if you plan to go to work tomorrow. If you're not going, then we can sleep together with Kitty and you can take a nap while Mom watches Kitty during the day tomorrow."

"I need to go to work tomorrow."

"Well that means you need to get a good night's rest. Come on, let's finish dinner. We have the cheesecakes for dessert, remember?" I said to Bella and led her to the dining room.

I had high hopes to make love to Bella tonight but I was cock blocked again. My cock had become an unnecessary body part lately. Actually it had become a very annoying body part. It always wanted attention at the most inconvenient time. I was sure Bella wanted to make love tonight as well. Not only were we cock blocked by Kitty, we also had Mom here. I sound like an unappreciative s.o.b., but ever since we came back from Vegas we were always cock blocked by someone. There was only so much self-gratification one can do. It was a good thing Bella and I was sleeping in different beds tonight. I was too horny that I would have ravished her even if Mom was asleep next door to our bedroom.

Rose and Emmett came over with the rest of the items I needed when Bella and I finished dinner.

"Ooooh, it smells good in here. Do you have some more to feed us?" Emmett asked.

"Of course, there's plenty. Oh gosh, I forgot to ask Esme if she had dinner yet," Bella looked horrified.

"Bella, it's no big deal. If Mom hadn't eaten, she can eat with Emmett and Rosalie after she comes out of the bathroom with Kitty."

Kitty was too miserable from the itch to sleep so she sat with us at the dining table. Mom said she snacked before she came but joined Emmett and Rosalie and had a little bit of the stew while Kitty happily sucked on the Pedialyte frozen pops. She was sweating because of the fever and I needed to make sure she was hydrated.

"I can alternate days to watch Kitty with Esme so she can go and visit with Alice," Rosalie offered.

"That would be awesome. Thanks Rose," I said to her.

"I'll call Alice and let her know that Kitty has the chicken pox so I can't see her tomorrow," Mom said and left the dining room to call Alice.

Mom came back with her cell phone in her hands. "Kitty, Auntie Alice wants to speak to you."

"Hi Auntie Alice… It's itchy… Really?... You got itchy too?... I ate cheese fun-do today… I put bread on stick and put in gooey cheese… yeah fun-do… Really? Thank you Auntie Alice…" I stopped listening in on Alice and Kitty's conversation when I heard Emmett's obnoxious laughter.

"Kitty's a genius. It should be called fun-do than fondue. I wonder what that 'Thank you' was for. That pixie keeps trying to bribe my Kit-Kat with presents to make her become her minion." Emmett scowled and Rosalie, Bella, and I laughed at him.

Kitty returned the phone to Mom and looked ecstatic. "What did Auntie Alice tell you she was going to buy you?" Bella asked with her eyebrows raised.

"She's going to buy me a fun-do set from the bitty baby store."

"I swear that place is the evil's lair," Bella sighed.

"What's a bitty baby store?" Emmett asked.

"Idiot, we bought furniture for her dolls for Christmas there. Have you forgotten? It's the American Girl Place. The store that's full of dolls at The Grove."

"Ah, now I remember. If Alice is buying something for Kitty, then we need to do. I bet we can beat her to the punch. She's in the hospital and shopping online takes days for the stuff to arrive. Can you go first thing in the morning?" Emmett looked serious and Bella's brows furrowed.

"Bella, it's just a toy. It's not made from gold." I said to her and rubbed her back.

"Oh don't give Alice any more ideas," Bella said and feigned a shiver.

"Hey, I heard you guys bought cheesecake for yourselves. Do you have any leftover?" Emmett asked and got slapped behind his head by Rosalie.

"Of course. We cut a little bit off all the different ones so none of them are whole anymore though. If that's okay with you, I'd be happy to get them out of the fridge."

"I'd take them even if they all had bite marks or if you've licked them," Emmett said and Rosalie scowled at him.

"That's really gross Em. I'm ashamed of you. You sound like I never feed you or buy you dessert." Rosalie glared at Emmett.

"But Rosie, they're the cheesecakes from Cheesecake Factory. I can't miss out on this opportunity. We rarely go there."

Although Rosalie was upset at how greedy Emmett was, she loved the selection we had and ended up eating more than Emmett.

After they were done with the desserts, they noticed that Kitty could barely keep her eyes open. Kitty asked Emmett to kiss her boo boos away, so both Rosalie and Emmett showered a bunch of kisses on Kitty which resulted in causing her to itch even more.

While I helped Bella with the dishes, Mom set up the couch sleeper for Kitty and me and tucked Kitty in. Mom lay on her side and read her the story book Rosalie and Emmett brought along with the herbs I needed. They were both really great to Kitty. The story book was called, 'Goldie Locks has Chicken Pox'. What made the story hilarious was that everywhere the name Goldie Locks appeared in the book, Mom replaced it with Auntie Rosalie instead causing Kitty to giggle every time. I joined them on the couch sleeper and listened to Mom read the story. Her voice was so soothing I had the hardest time staying awake.

I must've fallen asleep as Kitty's cries woke me up. The chicken pox progressed and the itch was worse. I got up and put the lights back on. I quickly got her another frozen pop and went to get the oatmeal and burdock paste I had chilled in the refrigerator. I got a cold washcloth and removed the previous paste I applied on her. Then I re-applied the cold paste I just got out of the fridge and the cold seemed to make her feel better. After Kitty finished eating the freezer pop she yawned and looked sleepy. I picked up the book Mom was reading and read from where I last remembered. I changed more characters and instead of saying Little Bo Peep, I said little annoying Pixie, and when the three bears appeared I said Papa Bear Carlisle, Mama Bear Esme, and Baby bear Kitty. She seemed to enjoy my replacements and that took her mind off the itching.

Once I heard her little snores, I turned the lights out and went back to sleep. I woke up to the smell of coffee and cinnamon. Kitty was no longer asleep beside me and I panicked. I shot out of bed and headed towards the kitchen and instantly relaxed when I saw Kitty in her highchair eating something that looked like flan with the help from Mom since she couldn't use her hands well because of the mittens she wore.

"Good morning Mom. Good morning Kitty," I said as I kissed both of my favorite ladies' cheeks.

"Good morning, dear. You look really tired this morning. I assume you had a rough night. Kitty didn't sleep through the night? Have some breakfast and get ready for work. Bella left about half an hour ago with Jasper. Evidently some of the new outfits arrived earlier than planned so Jasper needed Bella to go through them to let Alice know which ones arrived. You were sound asleep so she didn't want to wake you up. She said she'll give you a call later."

"Yeah, Kitty woke up several times during the night and I needed to reapply the paste on her to soothe the itches. Thanks for letting me know about Bella. These cinnamon rolls are great. Do you need anything? It's still really early so I can go to the grocery store now if there's anything you need. You'll be stuck here until Bella or I get back from work."

"There are a few things I need but I'd rather go shopping myself. It would be easier than making a grocery list. You'll be fine with Kitty for a little while until I come back right?"

"Not a problem. Could you just wait until I come out of the shower to go grocery shopping? I don't want to leave Kitty unattended when I'm in the shower."

"You're going to be a great father. Even more so than your Dad. You are meticulous in everything that involves Kitty. I had no idea you had it in you. Just don't worry too much. Kids get sick. You of all people should know that being a pediatrician. This was just chicken pox. She's not around other children much so she hasn't caught anything from others but once she's in school, she'll get sick. She might break some bones, she might need stitches, she'll probably throw up, have sour stomach, and the list goes on. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown."

"I know. Most parents get to have the time to learn being a parent but in my case I suddenly have a three year old. It's all so new to me. I'm amazed at how well adjusted Kitty is. I'm trying my best. Every time things seem to be going well between Bella and me, we get something thrown in our way. I didn't plan on asking her to move in with me so soon. I wanted to have her move in with me after the baby was born. I had every intention of asking her to move in with me but I didn't want to stress her with moving while she was still pregnant. With the current situation in regards to James my plan got thrown out. Maybe this was for the best, but nothing seems to come easy for us."

"They never do, dear. Look at things from the bright side. I'm sure you hadn't planned on finding 'the one' when you first moved here. Although most people don't have a girlfriend with a brother of the late husband out to get her, but you two have us who love the both of you so much so that we would drop everything to be at your side any time of the day and most people don't have that."

"I know and I'm really grateful that I have you all. I don't even know how to thank you all for all that you've done for us."

"None of us are doing anything out of our character. This comes naturally to all of us. You've been away from us too long, dear. We are just being a Cullen. The Cullens take care of each other. We are all family. Rose, Jasper, Bella, and Kitty included. Anyway, you and Bella need to sort something out in regards to Kitty's social life. She doesn't have friends. She only knows how to act among adults. She needs to be around people her own age."

"We are well aware of that and will remedy the situation soon. I'm trying to set up some play dates for Kitty with some of my patients and Emmett is also trying to set something up with the families of the boys on his basketball team with little sisters around Kitty's age. Anyway, thanks for the talk, Mom. I'd better hit the shower," I said and Mom smiled and nodded while I walked out of the kitchen.

**A/N **

This chapter was the continuation from the last chapter so it was still Edward POV. I hope you like it. Unfortunately I cut this chapter into two as well as it became too long for me to proof read several times. I hope to finish the next chapter soon so I can get it out to you all before Christmas. It would be great if you could leave a review! I really value your opinion and reply back to all of your comments. Thank you!

I also have the new chapter of "You Complete Me (Chapter 9) "posted. It would be great if you could read and review it too! Thank you!


	31. Chapter 31 Temperance

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 31 Temperance**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme, and Kitty**

**Edward POV**

Kitty finally got over the chicken pox and Alice was discharged from the hospital last week. She was now on a wheelchair since her arm and leg is still in a cast and crutches were not an option. We also received the best news this morning. The detective called us that they arrested James. He was caught breaking into Bella's beach house on Balboa Island. The detectives assumed that James and Victoria ran out of funds and got desperate enough to hide at the beach house. Bella had no idea how James tricked Stephen into giving the security code to their beach house. James only visited Stephen at the hospital once. What James didn't know was that Stephen had a separate silent alarm security system with a lock down in the music room. Since the alarm was silent, it didn't alert James that he had triggered the alarm and was locked into the room. The security company alerted the police as soon as the alarm was triggered that there was an intruder and both went to the scene immediately and arrested James. When they got there, there was no sign of Victoria. They didn't give us any other information as James was not talking yet.

I knew Bella had a beach house down in Balboa Island, but she wasn't ready to deal with it yet. Now that James broke into the house she decided she wanted to clean the place up and pack all of Stephen's belongings. Jasper, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie left 2 days ago and volunteered to pack up Stephen's belongings in the music room and that Jasper was going to keep all of the equipments in there. Jasper tried to convince Bella to sell the recording equipments and the musical instruments but Bella told Jasper she'd like to give it all to Jasper and that he could do as he pleased. Alice was in a wheelchair but was still excited to go to the beach house. Mom, Dad, Bella, Kitty and I were leaving today to spend the weekend at the beach house.

Kitty was excited to go on the ferry. Instead of driving around Newport harbor we decided to take the scenic ferry route. Bella thought it would be more fun for Kitty that way and I couldn't agree with her more. I haven't been to Newport since I was a child. I loved visiting the Fun zone there, my favorites were the ferris wheel and the carousel.

Mom and Dad arrived at my place looking really excited and happy. We were all excited. We were now free from the threats from James, Alice was home from the hospital, and Kitty was no longer miserable from the chicken pox. Things couldn't be better. We had everything we needed.

"Hi grandma, grandpa." Kitty ran towards my parents. Dad picked her up and gave her a kiss.

"Are we ready to leave?" Dad asked.

"Bella's packing the food and the drinks. I just have to finish loading the luggage into the car. Have a seat and relax. I'll let you guys know when we're ready to leave."

On Saturday morning Dad, Mom, Kitty, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper were leaving for an overnight trip to the Catalina Island from the beach house. They thought Bella and I needed some private time together and offered to take Kitty with them.

We only had to stop several times on our way to the ferry for bathroom breaks for Kitty and Bella. It was getting rather uncomfortable for Bella to sit in the car too long. The ferry ride was fun and Kitty jumped up and down in excitement. It was the second time for her to ride the ferry since we rode one in New York. Mom never let go of her camera and kept taking pictures of the scenery and pictures of Bella, Kitty, and I. Kitty got to use the camera and took pictures of Dad and Mom.

When we arrived at the beach house, Alice was the only one there. "Hey Alice, where's the rest?" I asked her.

"Jasper and Emmett took the cruiser and went fishing. Rosalie went to check out the town. She's never been here before. They have some really cute specialty stores there. She wanted to make customized plate for her home. Oh there's a floral shop there so you should probably head down there while you are here and get flowers for Bella."

"That's a great idea. By the way who were the people that left with the truck just now?" I asked Alice. We saw several men leave on a truck while we were just arriving.

"Oh the bed to the master bedroom arrived just now. It was supposed to arrive yesterday but it got delayed." Alice said and smiled excitedly.

"Bed? They didn't have a bed in the master bedroom?"

"Silly. Of course they had a bed, but the bed belonged to Stephen and Bella so she purchased a new bed for you and her."

"Why would she go through all that trouble?"

"That's the kind of person Bella is. Wouldn't you rather sleep in a bed that you were the only guy who slept in it? Would you really want to sleep in the bed where Stephen and Bella used to make love in? Bella loves you and cares about you. She even asked me to take down all the pictures that were of Stephen and Stephen and Bella together. She wanted to make things as comfortable as possible for you. You should be thankful you have such a kind and caring woman in your life."

Until Alice mentioned it, I didn't realize if things were left the way it used to be, I may have felt very uncomfortable and even jealous if I saw pictures of Bella with Stephen looking happy in love. I know I shouldn't but I probably would have. I don't know if I would have cared about the bed, but now that Alice mentioned it, I definitely preferred sleeping in a new bed that had no history.

"Where are Kitty, Dad, Mom, and Bella?" Alice asked looking around the room.

"Bella fell asleep in the car so I left her there so that I could unload the luggage and get things settled before I woke her up. Mom, Dad, and Kitty went for a walk."

"Well hurry and finish unloading the car and help me make some refreshments. Hopefully Emmett and Jasper will catch some fish. We bought the meats for the barbecue tonight. We could all go out to town for lunch."

"Emmett and Jasper went fishing?"

"Yeah, on Stephen's cabin cruiser."

"Stephen and Bella own a cruiser?"

"Yup and this multimillion dollar five bedroom beach house."

I knew the band was successful until Stephen became ill but I never expected they did this well judging from the way Jasper was. Jasper didn't look like he had money nor owned any property. If Stephen could afford this much, why was Jasper living so simple?

"Alice, this is probably personal so you don't have to answer me but what did Jasper do with the money he made while he was in the band?"

Alice laughed at my question. "I can understand that you'd you want to know since Jasper looks like he isn't loaded. Who do you think helped set up my boutique, paid for my car, my condo, and my shopping sprees? Jasper has money. It's just that he didn't spend it like the way Stephen did. Stephen bought this place for Kitty to spend the summers with her although he never got to much. If Jasper and I had a kid, he probably would have bought a summer house somewhere too, like the Hamptons."

I chuckled that Alice mentioned the Hamptons. Knowing it would definitely make Alice happy but very inconvenient since it's on the other end of the coast. Stephen was very smart to invest in this beach house which was only several hours away by car from LA. It was a beautiful beach house but for some strange reason it looked very familiar.

"Alice, why does this place feel so familiar?"

"Oh, you felt that too? Rose said that exact same thing as soon as she stepped in here too. It's cuz Mom remodeled and decorated this place for them."

"Ah, no wonder. Yeah, I can see some similarities from our home in Forks in here, like this side of the house being all glass. It's a great idea too, since it's facing the water. It has such a great view."

"You'd better go wake Bella up. She'll be pissed if she wakes up on her own in the car," Alice said and chuckled.

I quickly ran to the car hoping Bella was still asleep. Thankfully she was still asleep. I gave her a kiss on her nose and whispered in her ear, "wakey wakey, we're here."

Bella yawned and stretched. "We're here already? Where's Kitty?" She asked as she looked around in the car.

"Mom and Dad went on a walk with her. You looked so peaceful in your sleep so I let you sleep while I unloaded the luggage."

I helped Bella out of the car. I went for the door but Bella just stood outside looking like she was deep in thought. "Is something wrong, love?" I asked as I walked back to stand beside her. Bella shook her head in response.

"Edward, are you sure you'll be comfortable here? We could stay in a hotel if you'd be more comfortable there." Bella said looking worried.

"I love it here, Bella. This is a beautiful beach house. I'm really thankful that Stephen left you such a great property. Please stop worrying. It doesn't bother me at all. I heard from Alice that Stephen bought this place for Kitty and I'm glad he did. She should have something to remember her father by."

"I just want you to feel comfortable and I didn't want to hurt your feelings by bringing you to somewhere that had Stephen and my history written all over."

"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't jealous that he got to leave something this impressive for Kitty, but I have you and Kitty and that's all I need. I don't feel any discomfort, I'm happy that you are sharing this part of your history with me." I said and kissed Bella. "Let's go into the house. There's an excited pixie eagerly waiting to pounce on you." Bella laughed.

"I'm here!" Bella yelled into the house. Alice quickly wheeled herself into the living room.

"You're finally awake. What took you so long? I've been bored sitting here all by myself." Alice said and pouted.

"Aww, I'm sorry Alice. Where are Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie?"

"Em and Jazz are out fishing. Rosalie went to town to look around. I just made some iced tea. Would you like some?"

"I'd love some. Let me freshen up a bit and I'll see you in a minute," Bella said and walked towards the master bedroom with me trailing behind her.

"This beach house is so beautiful and so large," I commented to Bella.

"Yeah, Stephen sometimes used this place to write some songs with Jasper and the other guys in the band so they needed a large place to accommodate them all. It's a great property to accommodate a lot of guest. I debated whether to sell it or not, but since Stephen bought this with Kitty in mind, I decided to keep this for Kitty. It would be a nice place for us to come for the summer when Kitty started school, but only if you want to Edward. I could just rent this place out and have Kitty decide what she wants to do with this property when she gets older."

"Bella, you need to stop worrying about me. Kitty comes first. I think this would be an ideal place for us to spend the summers. I heard you guys even own a cruiser."

"Can you operate the cruiser?" Bella asked.

"Yes I can."

"Oh that's excellent. We can take it out while they're all gone to Catalina tomorrow."

We took advantage of the fact that everyone was out of the house except Alice and decided on showering together. Before we got carried away in the shower we heard loud banging and yelling from outside the door.

"Stop fooling around in the shower. I'm bored! Entertain me!" Alice banged the door and kept shouting at us.

Bella sighed. "We should get out before Alice breaks down the door and hurts herself."

I quickly dried myself off and helped Bella. Her belly had grown quite a bit and she now had a harder time getting dressed. "I'll take care of Alice. You should lie down a little. I'll come and get you after everyone's back," I said to Bella and left her in the bedroom.

"Where's Bella?" Alice asked when I showed up in the kitchen.

"She's resting until everyone returns."

Alice huffed but understood that Bella needed the rest. I helped Alice finish up making guacamole and salsa for the chips and took them to the deck outside. Alice wheeled herself out and we both sat out on the deck. While we kicked back and relaxed, Em and Jasper returned with a cooler full of mackerel.

"Ewww. You guys better gut and scale the fish yourselves. I'm not helping." Alice said and scowled.

"Eh, I'm sure Dad will do it." Emmett laughed. "Where's Rosie?"

"She's not back from town yet. Call her. She's probably having coffee at a café." Alice answered Emmett.

"Well I'm gonna go shower and get this stinkin' fish smell off me before Rosie comes back," Emmett said and went to shower.

Bella must've heard Emmett as she came out to the deck to join us. "Have some chips." Alice said and pointed at the chips, guacamole, and salsa.

"Oh that looks really good." Bella said and dug into the bowl of chips. "Is anyone else hungry?"

"I'm starved. We should go eat lunch somewhere once everyone is back." Alice suggested.

"We could take the cruiser and dock at the Bluewater Grill or The Cannery." Bella suggested.

"That sounds like a really cool idea. I've never gone to a restaurant in a cruiser before." I said to Bella.

"There are several dock and dines here. The Cannery is quite unique. It has the largest guest dock in Newport Beach. I'm sure you'll all love it. I'll go and make a reservation with the dockmaster at The Cannery." Bella said and went back into the house.

Mom, Dad, Rosalie and Kitty returned while Bella was inside the house making the reservation.

"Hey Rose, how was shopping?" Alice asked looking a little jealous she couldn't go with her.

"It was fun. It's not high season right now so I was able to take my time and the shop owners were all sweet and relaxed." Rosalie said and smiled.

"Where's Bella?" Mom asked.

"She's inside making a reservation so that we could dock the cruiser at the guest dock of the restaurant." I replied to Mom.

"Oh, they kept the cruiser? I assumed Stephen sold it before they left for Chicago. Have any of you taken it out since you got here?" Mom asked.

"Jazz and I took it out and went fishing. It's a beauty. Gorgeous cabin too. I wonder if we could take the food out and eat it on the cruiser. It'll be more exciting." Emmett suggested.

"I know The Cannery accommodates that but their underwater jellyfish motif bar is really cool though. We could dock and have a few drinks before we get back on the cruiser. I'll go talk to Bella and ask the chef at The Cannery to fix us something for us to take on the boat." Jasper said and went inside the house to find Bella.

"This weekend trip is going to be really fantastic." Mom said and Dad kissed her on her cheek.

"Does Bella know how to operate the cruiser? Bella can't drink because of the baby so she would be the ideal person to operate it. Otherwise you, Jazz, Dad or I can't drink."

"I don't need to drink, I'll ask Bella if she knows how to operate the cruiser but I'm not sure how comfortable she would be operating the cruiser with her belly." I said to Emmett and went to look for Bella.

Once I was inside the house, I found Bella resting on the couch and Jasper viewing the menu of The Cannery online while he spoke to someone on the phone. I assumed he was speaking to the chef or someone in charge of creating a take out.

"You seem really tired. Are you feeling all right?" I asked Bella.

"It feels like once I heard that James was arrested, I let go of all the exhaustion I held at bay, and now all of it seems to have come crashing over like a tidal wave."

"We can nap in the cabin of the cruiser while the others party." I said to Bella while I cuddled with her on the couch.

"What are you two doing? Get up! Let's get going. I'm really hungry!" Alice said while she wheeled herself into the living room with Kitty on her lap.

I helped Bella up and grabbed Kitty's lifejacket Bella bought yesterday before we came out here to Balboa Island. Kitty was a little baby when Stephen bought the cruiser so this was going to be Kitty's first experience to be on Stephen's cruiser.

We all got on the cruiser and Dad volunteered to operate it instead of Bella since she looked exhausted. He didn't think it was a good idea to stress her out by asking her to operate the cruiser.

"So what's happening? Are we eating there or are we taking the food onto the cruiser?" Alice asked Jasper.

"We'll have drinks there while Kitty, Bella, Carlisle, and Esme dine and then we'll pick up the food for the rest of us to eat on the cruiser," Jasper said to Alice.

"Smart man. I love that idea." Alice said and kissed Jasper.

I decided to forgo drinking and let Dad and Mom join the others at the bar. Bella, Kitty, and I sat at the all weather patio and had a light lunch. I wanted to spend time with Bella and Kitty instead of getting drunk with the others at the bar. We were lucky that the bar opened at 11:30 a.m. on Fridays instead of 4 p.m. on weekdays.

Thankfully the menu had plenty of non seafood items for Kitty. Kitty still refused to eat her friends from The Little Mermaid. Bella ordered a burger for Kitty, a blackened chicken sandwich for herself, and a blue corn chicken Enchiladas for me. It didn't take long for us to finish our meal. I texted Emmett to let him know that we were done eating so we should get back on the cruiser before Kitty got bored sitting at the table. I didn't want her running around the deck and fall into the water.

When we got back on the cruiser, Emmett found his perfect toy in the bag Bella packed for Kitty. It was a sing along CD player with microphone. Bella had packed quite a few Disney sing along CDs as well.

"Em, that's for Kitty's entertainment. Not yours," I said and chuckled.

"Eh, I'm going to entertain Kitty so I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Kitty noticed that Emmett had her player and went after him. As soon as they were on the deck, they started to sing "Under the Sea." Kitty looked really happy since that was her favorite song from The Little Mermaid and danced with Emmett while she sang with him.

"Well, I'm glad we made good use of the player. I brought it for Kitty to sing in the car and didn't expect it for this." Bella laughed.

Now the microphone was passed to Alice and Jasper and they were sang "A Whole New World," together.

Mom and Dad looked like they were really enjoying the Karaoke and were now looking at the CDs to choose what they were going to sing together. After Alice and Jasper finished singing they passed the mic to Dad and Mom. We all cracked up when they started to sing "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo."

While Mom and Dad sang Emmett looked through the CDs and cracked up. One of the CD's Bella brought was a "Radio Disney Move It" CD. In the CD were songs like Who let the dogs out by Baha Men, YMCA by the Village People, U Can't Touch This by MC Hammer, Shout by Isley Brothers, Macarena by Los Del Rio, Le Freak by Chic, I got you (I feel good) by James Brown and many others that were sure to get a roar of laughs out of everyone.

Emmett grabbed the mic and started singing from the 1st song on the CD, which was "We will Rock you" by Queen. As soon as he started singing Jasper joined him.

When Emmett and Jasper started singing Macarena, Dad and Mom started dancing along. Mom and Dad were hilarious. I had no idea they even knew the moves. Bella and Rosalie laughed so hard they had tears running down their cheeks.

When they finished singing all the songs on the CD, Emmett laid down on the deck in exhaustion. "Man, that was the best CD ever. I need it on my iPod. Damn fine selection for parties!" Emmett said and laughed.

"Who'd think such a great mix was made for kids." Jasper nodded in agreement to Emmett.

I noticed that Kitty was napping on Mom's lap, I decided to turn the cruiser around and head back to the beach house.

When we got back to the beach house, we decided to let our ladies rest while we prepared for the barbecue. Rosalie and Alice stayed on the deck and were having margaritas. Mom tucked Kitty in bed and then walked around the house with Bella going into each room. I wondered what they were doing. After seeing Mom pointing to the walls and showing Bella paint chips and fabric swatches, I realized they were planning on redecorating this beach house.

When they got to the door that led to the basement, Mom called me to join them. "Why do you need me, Mom?"

"Umm. I want to convert the music room to your study and wanted your input on what you want in there, and in what colors. This room is sound proofed so it would be an ideal room for your study. You won't be bothered with Kitty and Matthew's screaming and running in the house when you work," Bella said and smiled.

I was shocked to find out that Bella had planned to convert the music room for my study. The more time I spent with Bella, the more I felt blessed that I had her in my life. She was so thoughtful and loving. No word could describe how truly happy I felt. I hugged Bella. "Thank you," I said to her and gave her a kiss.

"Well that's my cue to leave you two alone," Mom said and winked as she left the room.

***************

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I planted a seed of this plot in the beginning of the story when Bella described that Stephen was careful with money and left a beach house in Balboa. I wanted to end this year in this story with a bit of humor. Next chapter or two will be Edward and Bella's romantic time at the beach house.

Have a great New Year! Please leave a review!


	32. Chapter 32 The Strength

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot to this story.

Thank you figment7 for your review. I can't send a PM to you so here is my appreciation for taking the time to leave me a comment. I really appreciate it.

Please take a moment and look on my profile on Chapter 32 for the link for The Resort at Pelican Hill before you start reading the chapter so you could visually see the environment I'm throwing Edward and Bella into.

**Chapter 32 The Strength **

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Alice, and Esme**

**Bella POV**

The house was quiet. I could only hear the sounds of the water as I sat on the deck. Edward was still asleep. I was surprised Edward slept through all the commotion that went on while everyone gathered their bags and left for Catalina Island. He looked so peaceful. Kitty climbed onto the bed and gave him a kiss on his cheek while he was asleep. She wanted to say goodbye to Edward before she left, but when she saw that he was still asleep, right as I called out to wake him up, she put a finger onto her lips to signal to me not to wake Edward up. She wasn't even four yet, but she after all we had gone through, she was maturing faster than an average 3 year old and shown signs of her caring nature. I know I can't change the past, but I hoped now that things were looking up for us, she wouldn't have to grow up so quickly.

The calm and the quiet surroundings after everyone left made me feel a little tense. This trip was the first time I was back in this house after Stephen passed away. I had mixed feelings about this trip. If James hadn't broken into the house, I don't think I would've come back here for a few more years. This place had too many memories of Stephen and me together. We came here right after Kitty was born. Stephen bought this place for Kitty but also as a place for me to grieve as I took my Dad's death hard when he was killed on duty right before Kitty was born.

I needed to snap myself out of this melancholic mood. I needed to be happy for Edward. We had the house to ourselves and I'm sure he planned to make this weekend romantic for us. If I didn't snap out of this mood soon, Edward would get worried and it would ruin our time together. I'm sure Edward would understand if I told him how I felt about this place and would try to cheer me up. I didn't want him to have to comfort me. He shouldn't have to do that. He's done so much for me already.

This place just had too many memories. The idea of remodeling this place and making Edward's study seemed like a good idea at first, but now that I had time to think about it, it seemed a little too early for me to deal with coming back here any time again soon.

I made a quick decision that in order for Edward and me to have a nice time together this weekend there was no way we could stay here. I picked up the phone and called The Resort at Pelican Hill. I had seen this resort on a magazine when it opened in November of 2008 and wanted to visit. I made a reservation for a one bedroom bungalow suite. I went into the bedroom and packed a pair of khakis, a pair of dress pants, dinner jacket, a tie, 2 dress shirts, polo shirt, sweat pants, T shirts, underwear, socks, and swim shorts for Edward, a sundress, jersey stretch knit dress, khakis, shorts, sweat pants, T shirt, underwear, and a bathing suit for myself. Edward didn't have to know the reason why we were getting away from here. For tonight, I just wanted him to think that I just wanted a romantic getaway free from having to do anything ourselves. Once we were back in LA, I planned to tell him why I needed to do this, I didn't want to keep anything from Edward but I didn't want him to worry at the moment. We needed this time to ourselves and I wanted to do something special for him for being so supportive while we went through the ordeal that involved James. The whole family, not just Edward was so graceful, kind, and understanding in regards to what happened with James. Alice could have died because of my late husband's brother but still they never blamed me or placed any ill feelings towards me.

I quickly texted Alice to let her know that we'll be staying at The Resort at Pelican Hill instead of staying at the beach house and would return Monday morning before they all returned.

I went to the kitchen to see what I could make for breakfast. I decided to make him some biscuits, gravy, sausages, scrambled eggs, and breakfast potatoes. I mixed the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and shortening into fine crumbs. Then I poured buttermilk and water gradually. Once I was done mixing the liquids in, I turned it onto the floured surface and kneaded the dough well. The kneading of the dough usually helped me de-stress. Kneading dough was like meditation for me. After I cut the biscuits I placed it on the baking sheet and left it till the oven warmed up.

While I waited for the oven I started to make the gravy. Once I was done with the gravy, I popped the biscuits into the oven. I took out the leftover potatoes from last night and cut them into bite sized pieces and threw it into the frying pan. While the potatoes cooked I cooked the eggs and sausages in another pan. Cooking for Edward made me feel a little better. It at least took my mind off Stephen and my Dad. Once I was done I put the food in the oven to keep it warm. As I walked towards the bedroom, I received a text back from Alice.

"_I understand. I was also going to suggest that you two book a hotel room. Jasper mentioned it last night before we went to bed. He was worried that the beach house had too many memories for you to deal with yet. I'm sorry I forgot to mention it to you before we left this morning. I hope you two have a great time there! Call me if you need to talk." _I forgot how perceptive Jasper was. Just as I texted Alice to thank her, Edward walked into the kitchen.

"Mmmm. It smells good in here." He said and gave me a kiss.

"Let's see, biscuits and gravy, sausages, scrambled eggs, and breakfast potatoes. Does that sound good?"

"Yum. Can't wait!" He said and got on his knees and kissed my tummy. "Good morning, Matthew. How are you this morning?" Edward said to my tummy which had become his daily morning ritual.

"He's very active this morning. It seems like every time I sit down and try to relax, he starts to move around."

"Awww. Matthew, be nice to Mommy all right? She's a little tired. Can you try to ease up on her for a few more days until we're back in LA?" Edward said to my tummy. I loved seeing how involved he was and excited about Matthew. He really seemed to enjoy my stomach growing larger and larger. I felt like a whale and ugly, but seeing Edward happy that Matthew was growing larger and healthy helped my self confidence from depleting.

"Let's eat. After we finish eating and shower, we need to pack our toiletries. I have a surprise for us."

"Why does the surprise include the need for us to pack our toiletries?" Edward looked confused.

"We're checking into The Resort at Pelican Hill for two nights. I got us a bungalow suite. I've always wanted to stay there. It's a really beautiful resort. I thought it would be nicer to stay there and have people wait on hand and foot."

"Oh Bella, come here." Edward said and I saw pain in his eyes. "I should have realized this place was just too much too soon. I'm so sorry I wasn't the one to think to book somewhere for us to stay." He said and kissed me on my head while he held me tight.

"Am I that transparent? I thought I could get away telling you it was a surprise."

"I love you baby, you can tell me anything. Please don't hide anything from me. I want to know everything about you, everything you feel, and I want to share it all with you."

"I'm sorry. I planned to tell you later but I just wanted to get through this weekend without having you worry about me. I want to make you happy and take care of you too. You've done so much for me and I haven't done enough for you."

"Bella, that is not true. Please don't say that ever again. I was broken when I came to live in LA. I only had a job to live for. After I met you, my life had changed so much that I don't even want to think about how it used to be. You've given me yourself, Kitty, and Matthew to me. I have never felt so loved before and I feel alive again. You gave me everything I wanted and needed. I'm so happy. It's my turn to do something for you."

"Edward, now it's my turn to tell you not to say that ever again. You've done so much for us, your family too. You've taken such good care of Kitty, the baby, and me. You've shown me that I could fall in love again, that I deserve to be loved. After Stephen died, I thought it was going to be just Kitty and me. I felt so alone. You've not only loved me but also given me hope. When I saw you in O'Hare and thought I'd never see you again, I felt a sense of loss. I felt this pull towards you and felt it gone until you showed up in my living room at my housewarming. My life has enriched so much since the moment you walked into my life. I have so much baggage but you took it all in as if you didn't see anything wrong. You accepted me the way I am. I don't know what I did to deserve you. I haven't done enough for you."

Edward sighed. "I love you. We're not getting out of this place if we keep professing to each other that we haven't done enough. There's a beautiful resort and wonderful breakfast waiting for us. We have a lifetime to love each other and care for each other." Edward said and led me to the dining room. "You cooked, so I shall serve." Edward said and headed to the kitchen to bring the food to the table.

After breakfast we quickly showered together to cut back on time and finished packing our bags and hopped into the car. The sky was clear and the drive to Pelican Hill was gorgeous. The ocean breeze that blew into the car and the view of the ocean was serene. I felt the tense feeling I had while I was at the house melt away.

**Edward POV**

I felt like beating myself when Bella told me she booked a bungalow at Pelican Hill. I should have known that staying in the beach house would be hard for her. When everyone was here she was too occupied taking care of everyone and Kitty but now that they have all left for the Catalina Island, I should have realized that her mind would be hit with memories after memories of the time she spent with Stephen here.

When we arrived at the resort, I was stunned by the beauty of it. The resort was located between Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. Bella told me that this resort stood on 504 acres with views of the Pacific Ocean from all the vantage points. The architecture of the resort was inspired from Andrea Palladio, a great Italian architect from the 16th century. The resort even had two 18-hole golf courses. I didn't bring my clubs since Bella didn't golf. She said she stopped golfing when she accidentally let go of the 9 iron and it went flying instead of the ball. What a shame though. The golf course at the Pelican Hill was designed by Tom Fazio. There was no other living person credited as much as Tom Fazio in Golf's Digest.

We checked in and were led to the villa. It came with our own private car garage. The view of the ocean from our private terrace was spectacular. The suite had a wooden ceiling and the colors used in the bedroom and the sitting area were all neutral colors that gave off this relaxing and warm feel. There was a limestone fireplace with a timer in the suite. We were assigned our personal villa staff and there was a concierge, butler, and personal chef on request. We were told there was a complimentary shuttle service to Crystal Cove State Park where there was 3.2 miles of beach and 2400 acres of undeveloped woodland great for horseback riding and hiking.

Once we were alone, I sat Bella on my lap in our private terrace to take a little break to decide on what we wanted to do first. "Bella thank you for bringing me here. This is a really spectacular resort. It's amazing. I really love it here." I said to Bella and gave her a kiss.

"Really? I'm so glad to hear that you love it. When I first saw this place on a magazine a while ago I really wanted to stay here. I never imagined that I'd get the chance since I have the beach house." She said and smiled.

"What would you like to do first? Would you like to go to the café and grab something light to eat or take a walk around the premise, or go to the beach?"

"How about we take a walk and then go to the café? After that we can come back here and change into our bathing suit and go for a swim."

"That sounds great. I think I want to check out the Coliseum pool. I want to see this 136 feet circle pool that has 1 million glass mosaic tiles that were laid by hand that they boast of. I'll give the concierge a call to book a cabana." I said and helped her off my lap.

After our little walk around the premise we decided to just go to the Coliseum Pool & Grill to grab a bite instead of the Café. Bella insisted on sharing the food so that we wouldn't be too full for dinner. We shared the Dungeness crab cake, Cobb salad, and Coliseum burger.

While we relaxed by the pool, I got a text message from Alice to call her back. I decided to ignore her but Mom texted me soon after to call Alice or her back. If it were something urgent involving Kitty, they would have called but since they haven't I decided to ignore them until we were back in our bungalow. After ignoring her message I received a call. I panicked when I saw Eleazar on the caller ID. Were Mom and Alice trying to warn me that Eleazar was going to call me? Would I have to leave Bella here and go back to LA? I took a calming breath before I answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello Edward. It's Eleazar. Hey, sorry to bother you on your vacation but your mother called me in distress. She thinks you are purposely ignoring her calls. She told me you wouldn't ignore my call so she asked me to call you. Just so that your mother wouldn't call Carmen and to keep Carmen off my back, would you please call her back? She said it was urgent and something that had to do with a property you were looking for and to check your email."

"Thanks Eleazar. I'm sorry for all your trouble. I'll check my email immediately. Thanks. See you next week."

"Edward? Is something wrong? Was that Eleazar?" Bella asked.

"Sorry babe. Yeah, it was Eleazar, he wants me to check my email. I'm just going to quickly run back to the bungalow, and be right back."

"Would you like me to go with you?"

"Just relax here by the pool, I won't be long." I said to Bella and kissed her before I went running back to the bungalow. On my way back I called Mom. "Mom, what's so urgent that you resorted to force Eleazar to tell me to call you?"

"Oh Edward! We found the perfect house! Alice and I are in LA right now with the realtor looking at the property."

"What? Why are you two in LA? Did you all leave Catalina Island? Where's Kitty?" I yelled in panic.

"Oh no, it's just Alice and I. The rest are still in Catalina. Don't worry. Kitty is having a grand time with your father, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie. We're returning to Catalina later in the evening after we're done here. Edward, the realtor sent you an email with pictures of the property. Alice also just took some pictures as well."

"I'm on my way back to the suite. I was at the pool with Bella. I'll call you back after I see the pictures."

"Well you need to hurry and decide if you want to bid or not. The place is amazing. It's a 5 bedroom Tuscan style villa with ocean view, built in 2006, and located in the Pacific Palisades. It's 3 stories high and has a pool and spa. The place has granite countertops, 2 fireplaces, cherrywood cabinets. It's at the end of the road so the setting is serene and peaceful. Call us back immediately! Talk to you soon!" Mom said full of excitement.

I was out of breath when I got inside the suite. I ran to grab my laptop and checked my email. I immediately clicked the link for the pictures. The moment I saw the property I fell in love with it. Mom, Alice, and I've been house hunting for over a month now and just couldn't find _the one_. This place was it. I finally found what I was looking for. It was perfect to raise our children.

I picked up the phone and called Mom. "This is definitely_ the one_, Mom. I've got to get this place. Please offer whatever you both need to. I want to see it Monday with Kitty. The realtor is Alice's friend right?"

"Yes, she is. We'll make all the arrangements and call you later before we leave here to go back to Catalina. We'll take Kitty to Pelican Hill early Monday morning so you two can drive back to LA and head down to the property directly from there. Alice and Rosalie can take Bella to Fashion Island so that there's an excuse for you and Kitty to go back to LA without Bella. Your father, Emmett, Jasper, and I'll close up the house so you and Bella don't have to worry about anything. It's all under control."

"Thanks Mom. So on Monday I'll take this car back to LA with Kitty, Alice and Rosalie will come here and pick up Bella, and you guys have Emmett's jeep to go home in right?"

"Everyone of us have a ride so don't worry, dear." Mom said and I heard Alice squealing in the background. I wasn't sure if she was squealing because I want the house or that she was going shopping with Bella and Rosalie on Monday.

I had to take a few calming breaths. I was so full of adrenaline right now. I needed to calm down before I went back to the pool so that Bella doesn't find out about the house I plan to buy for us. There was one more thing I needed to do but I couldn't do it from here so I asked Alice.

"Hey sis, I need one more favor from you. I need you to go to Cartier and place an order for the 'you're mine' ring in Bella's size. It's the paved platinum ring with brilliant cut diamonds and a center heart shaped diamond. I trust your judgment on the Four Cs and what carat would look best on Bella's ring finger." I thought my ear drums were busted when I heard the loud squeal on the other end of the phone.

"Mom! Mom! Edward is proposing to Bella!!! He asked me to go to place an order for her ring!" I heard Alice tell Mom. Before I could tell Alice to keep it between the two of them, Mom grabbed the phone back from Alice.

"I'm so happy to hear that you're going to propose to Bella. Oh I'm so proud of you. I can't wait to tell your Dad."

Now that I let the cat out of the bag, there was no stopping for this information to circulate around my family. In a few minutes I was sure I would start to get a round of calls from my family. "It's probably futile for me to ask you two to keep this a secret isn't it? Just make sure Bella doesn't find out. Keep Emmett away from her. He's not going to be able to keep a straight face in front of Bella." I said to Mom.

"I'll make sure that Bella doesn't find out. Make sure you don't grin like a fool in front of her either." Alice said to me. I couldn't keep up with who was on the phone as Mom and Alice kept handing the phone over to each other.

"Anyway, I better get back to Bella. Thanks for everything. Just promise me that I get the house."

"Don't worry about it. She's a good friend of mine. She knows not to cross me." Alice said and laughed.

"Thanks. Just keep me posted. See you Monday."

I took a deep breath to calm down. So many things went through my head. I had some doubts whether purchasing the house without Bella's approval was a good idea or not. If we were getting married, maybe it should be a joint decision but I was sure that she would fall in love with this house just like I did.

My plan was to put down some faith money for the house and take her there the weekend we were back in LA. I planned to propose to her there. If she didn't like the house, I was willing to give up the faith money. Once I was back in LA I needed to contact a personal chef to discuss the dinner for two to hold at the house I'd be purchasing. I hoped that Alice's realtor friend would work with me to make sure I can pull this off. I wanted to do this as much as possible on my own without getting help from Alice or Mom. That meant I also needed to contact the florist myself to decorate the terrace at the new house. For now I had to push all these thoughts out of my head and enjoy the time I have here with Bella this weekend.

Just so that none of my family members would bother me, I texted my Mom to warn them not to contact me so that Bella wouldn't get suspicious that there was something going on she wasn't included in. As soon as I finished texting, I hurried back to Bella.

When I got back to the pool, Bella was asleep in the cabana. She looked really relaxed and had a smile on her face. I kissed her forehead and she stirred. "Oh, you're back. I missed you. Is everything okay?" She asked with a worried look.

"No worries. I sorted everything out. All we have to do is enjoy our time here." I said and gave her a peck on her nose.

"Let's get out of here. Wanna go have high tea at the Great Room?"

"Sounds great. Here, let me help you up." I said to Bella. She slipped on her sundress and her flats.

When we got to the Great Room, there was a pianist playing. A champagne cart came over and Bella chose an herbal tea and she insisted on me having a glass of champagne. We also chose some cakes and pastries from the dessert cart.

"Please don't abstain from alcohol because of me. As long as you don't get drunk, I'm fine. In my condition I won't be able to help you walk if you got drunk." Bella said and laughed.

"Thanks. I just feel horrible enjoying something you can't."

"Stop worrying about me. Just promise to enjoy yourself. You gave me so many surprises in Vegas. This weekend is my turn to show you I can surprise you as well." Bella said and leaned into me for a kiss.

"I'm not worried. I love everything here. You don't have to do anything. This place in itself is wonderful and I have the woman I love here with me. I don't need anything else." I said and held Bella in my arms. "There's something you could do for me though, let's get back to the bungalow and take a bath in the whirlpool tub together." I said and winked.

"Well, let's get to it." Bella jumped out of her seat and rushed us out of the Great Room.

"Bella, calm down. I'm not going anywhere. You'll trip." I said and laughed.

"You're the one who put the thought of us in the tub together naked." Bella said and gave me a sexy devilish wink.

As soon as we were back in the bungalow suite our clothes came off and trailed from the door to the bathroom. I started running the bath and we both jumped into the shower to keep us warm while the tub filled. It was a deep soak tub so it would take a while.

The marble walk in shower was large and had plenty of room for the both of us together. I held onto Bella tight so that she wouldn't slip and fall while we fooled around in the shower. The image of an old commercial with the phrase, 'I've fallen and I can't get up,' suddenly crossed my mind and I had to hold myself from laughing. I lathered the shampoo and worked it into her hair. Bella had her eyes closed and she looked really comfortable while I massaged her scalp.

"Mmm. That feels so good." Bella said with her eyes closed.

"Wait till we're in the tub. This is nothing compared to what I plan on doing to you." I whispered into her ear as I nibbled on it softly.

"Mmm. Can't wait."

I rinsed her hair out and lathered the body soap in my hands. I started working on washing her body from her neck down. I circled the soap suds on her neck and gently massaged her neck while I glided my hands down her back. Bella tilted her head back, looked up into my eyes, and smiled.

"Does it feel good, baby?"

"It feels wonderful, Edward."

I then knelt down behind her back and washed her legs working from her ankle up to behind her knees and up behind her thighs. I gave her a kiss on her butt cheeks and Bella giggled.

I got back up and wrapped my arm around her waist and worked the soap suds up from her stomach and gently washed her belly. I glided my hands up from her belly to her breasts. I circled the soap suds around her breasts and gently played with her nipples.

"I love you." I whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, Edward."

I moved myself in front of her while I kissed her. Bella raised her arms and slid her fingers through my hair. I lowered my hand and gently washed between her legs and teased her clit. Bella giggled and squirmed.

"I'm going to slip and fall if you keep teasing me. It's not easy for me to get up being a whale you know." Bella said and giggled. Again, I was assaulted with the images of the 'I've fallen and I can't get up,' commercial when Bella mentioned the word 'fall' and 'get up.'

"Don't worry, baby. I've gotcha." I said and chuckled.

Bella blushed and her neck and breasts were red from the heat of the shower and my teasing. "I think the bath is ready. Let's get into the tub," I said to Bella and helped her out of the shower. I got into the tub first and helped her into the tub while I held her securely. I sat down behind her and spread my legs with her between them. Bella leaned her back into my chest and sighed.

"Was that sigh, a good sigh?" I asked Bella.

"Sure was. The water is so warm and relaxing. It feels soooo heavenly," she said and smiled.

"Yeah, it is but I can think of other ways that can make you feel heavenly." I said and trailed kisses down her neck and let my hands explore between her legs. I sucked on her neck while I traced my fingers along the folds between her legs and blew warm breath into her ear.

"I want you Edward, take me to bedroom. I'm going to overheat in here," Bella said with lust in her eyes.

"Anything you wish, baby. Stay in the tub, I'll grab you a towel and a robe."

I got out of the tub and wrapped towel around my hips. I helped Bella out of the tub and helped dry her body while she towel dried her hair. I slipped a terry robe on Bella and took her hand and led her out of the bathroom.

"As much as I want to jump in bed with you right now, I feel a little dizzy from the bath. Do you think I can cool off in the terrace?"

"I'm so sorry babe. I should have known that the shower and a bath at once would have been too much. Do you feel all right? Can I get you some ice water?"

"Don't worry, Edward. I think we just stayed in the shower too long. I'd love some ice water though."

"I'll be right back." I said and ran to the bar to get Bella some ice water.

I filled the ice bucket and crushed the ice, grabbed two glasses, and bottled water. I grabbed a bowl and filled it with some water and crushed ice. I ran to the bathroom and grabbed a wash cloth from the bathroom and soaked it in the bowl with the ice water. I wrung the soaked wash cloth of the water and placed it on the tray with the ice bucket, glasses, and bottled water.

I took the tray to the terrace. We had an ocean view private terrace. The sun was setting and the view was magnificent. "It's going to feel really cold at first but it will help you feel better." I said to Bella and gently held the wash cloth I cooled at the bar for Bella against the back of her neck.

"Oooh that is cold." Bella shivered for a second and laughed.

"Sorry, but it works the best when someone is overheated."

"I'm sorry for breaking the mood. We could have been having hot, wild sex in bed right now."

"Don't apologize, baby. We've got all night." I said and waggled my brows.

I got up from my deck chair and slid in behind Bella. She rested her back on my chest just like we were in the tub earlier. We watched the sunset together while we sipped on our water.

"Don't you want some beer?" Bella asked.

"I think I'm going to hydrate myself with water first. What should we do for dinner? Should we go to the one of the restaurants or should we dine in?"

"I'd like to take you to Andrea for dinner. I read that they have a special temperature controlled pasta room. I'd love us to try the pasta there. They even make gelato daily."

"Mmmm. Sounds perfect. Let's go there for dinner then. What time do you want me to make the reservation for?"

"Well they're open for dinner from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. I'm thinking we'll just go when we feel like eating and give them a call before we head out. If they're full then we can always go for in-suite dining instead. I'm kind of in the mood for doing something when we feel like it instead of making a plan and sticking to a schedule. It's not often we get to do things without a schedule. Even on vacation, most of the time we're moving according to schedule and never spontaneous. So for this trip, I think I want us to do whatever and whenever we feel like it. Does that sound good?"

"I think it's a fantastic idea. I love it." I said to Bella. I really thought Bella's suggestion was superb. Having a 3 yr. old, we kept a pretty regular schedule and never really strayed from it. It was nice to think we didn't have to set the alarm clock and do whatever and whenever we felt like.

"Well the sun has almost set, and I feel much better. Care to join me in bed, Dr. Cullen?"

Bella asked seductively.

"How could I resist such a charming lady's seduction?" I said and tilted my head to kiss her. I pulled the robe apart between her legs and slipped my hand between her legs. I noticed that she was wet and ready for me. I ran my fingers up and down between her folds and circled my fingers around her clit. Bella moaned into my mouth. Once my fingers were soaked from her wetness I slipped a finger into her while my thumb still teased her clit. I pulled my finger out and then slid two fingers in a slowly pumped them in and out of her.

"Faster, Edward. Faster." Bella said and bent her knees and spread them wider.

I was getting so turned on that my cock was rock hard against her back. Bella stretched her arm behind her back and grabbed my cock. She started to pump my cock at the same rhythm I worked my fingers in and out of her.

"Aaah. Edward, you have to stop. I won't last until we make it to bed."

"It's okay, baby. I want you to come. Let yourself go." I said to her and pumped my fingers faster.

"Aaah, Aaah. Edwaaard." Bella muffled her scream into my chest as she came.

I got out of the deck chair and carried her in my arms. I hurried to the bedroom and placed her on the bed gently. I placed the pillows under her bottom and knelt between her legs. I lapped my tongue up and down her folds and sucked on her clit. "Oh God, Edward. That feels so good."

I rolled my tongue and sucked on her clit. She was so wet she was dripping. I lay down on the bed beside her and told her to get on top of me. I helped her straddle me and placed my cock at her entrance. Bella slowly lowered herself and my cock slipped inside her. I raised my arms so that she could hold onto them. After I bounced her on me several times I helped her off my cock and had her on her fours. I placed the pillows underneath her stomach wrapped my arms around her thighs and entered her from behind. I tried really hard to make sure none of my weight was on her. She felt so hot and tight. I wasn't going to last much longer.

"Oh God, Bella. You feel so good." I pumped faster into her. I slid my hand between her and the pillow and reached for her clit.

"Edward, I'm gonna come again."

I pumped faster and pinched her clit. I felt her walls tighten around my cock and felt her come. As soon as I felt her shudder, I couldn't hold any longer and let myself go. I gently cradled her and lay down on the bed together with her snuggled against my chest.

"Are you all right, babe?" I asked Bella.

"Mmmm. I feel really good right now, I don't want to talk." Bella said blissfully.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'm good. Just hold me."

Lovemaking between Bella and I had become much less and far between as it had become much less pleasurable for Bella because of the pregnancy and all that happened recently such as the threat from James and Kitty's chicken pox. We had so many people going in and out of our place we rarely had any private time to ourselves. We had also switched to pleasuring each other orally instead so that there would be less strain on Bella so I really enjoyed our lovemaking today.

Once I heard Bella's cute little snores, I got out of bed and went to the bar to grab myself a can of beer. I went back out to the terrace with my beer and my phone. There were 15 text messages and 5 messages. All were from my family congratulating me for my decision to propose to Bella. Since Bella had no family left, I decided to ask Kitty on Monday if it was okay to ask Bella to become my wife and for her to become my daughter. I wanted to make sure that Kitty felt like she was included. I understood she was too young to comprehend what all this meant but I hoped she would remember that I asked her for her permission to marry her mother. I planned to take her out all day starting from looking at the property together, then a quick drive to Pasadena for an afternoon tea, and onto shopping. I planned to make the day special for Kitty as I would for Bella on the day I propose to her.

I quickly made reservations by phone for two people at Scarlet Tea room for Kitty and me for an afternoon tea. I made a mental note to myself to grab some sandwiches and pastries for Kitty before we left here on Monday morning so that she wouldn't starve until we got to Pasadena.

I felt a little chilly after staying out in the terrace with just my boxers so I went back inside and headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. I checked on Bella and she was still asleep.

* * *

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I know I did writing it. The next two chapters will be another romantic time with Edward and Bella at the resort and Edward's date with Kitty. I do have pictures of the house I found in the Palisades so I'll put those links up when I finish writing the chapter when Edward goes to the property with Kitty. Please leave a review! Thank you!


	33. Chapter 33 The Strength part 2

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 33 The Strength part 2**

**Edward POV**

Bella stayed asleep past the time we could dine at the restaurants here at the resort, so I called up room service, and ordered a salad and some clubhouse sandwiches, so that she could eat them whenever she woke up. I knew she would be very hungry when she woke up, and didn't want her to have to wait for the food to arrive.

Since she was asleep I decided to take care of some of the details for the date with Kitty and the proposal. I needed to take care of things in the order that would take the most time to implement. I needed my whole family on board for the proposal. I was determined to make the proposal a memorable one for Bella. Nothing too extravagant, but something that would go straight to her heart.

I picked up the phone to call Dad. I needed him to lead what I wanted to pull off. "Hi, Dad. Thanks for the congratulations. I need your help to implement what I want to do when I propose to her."

"Hello, Edward. How can I assist?"

"I need everyone on board to accomplish what I want to do. This all depends on whether the realtor lets me, but I'm sure with Alice's help the realtor will probably agree. I need you to ask Jasper to set up the instruments at the house I'm planning to buy on the day I plan to propose to Bella. I want us all to perform some songs for her. I already have the songs decided. I'll text you and Jasper the list of songs I want us to perform. I'm thinking we can sing some of the songs together as a group, then I'll sing one, and while I get down on my knees I'd like you, Dad, to sing one of the songs I've picked. If you'd rather have Jasper sing, that's okay too, but I know you have a great voice, and I think Bella would love it if you sang for her instead of Jasper."

"Son, it would be an honor to sing for Bella. I'll let Jasper know what you want to do and you can contact him directly for details. I'll make sure that everything goes as planned. Should I inform Alice, or do you want to wait so that she doesn't get overly excited and run on her own?"

"I have some things I need to ask her to take care for me, so I'll just call her directly. Thanks for everything, Dad."

"Don't mention it. We want this to happen perfectly as much as you do. Talk to you soon, son."

Oooookay. One down. A million more things still left to do. I went to the bedroom to check on Bella to make sure she was still asleep. I didn't want her to overhear the phone calls I make to sort all the details out. She was still snoring so I went back to the living room to make a call to Alice.

"Hey, lil sis."

"Hi brother, how are you doing?"

"I'm great. Bella's a bit worn out though, but since she's asleep she's given me ample time to iron out some details."

"Well, since you called me, I'm assuming you need my assitance on something?"

"I need assistance from you as a project manager so to speak. I want to perform a little show for her. I want Dad, Emmett, Jasper and I to sing a few songs for her. Dad's gonna talk to Jasper about it, and I'll notify them of the songs I want us to perform. I'll take Bella out to dinner and go to the property for desserts. I was hoping maybe you can call a personal chef you know to arrange for the desserts. I want all of you there, but obviously I want you all to leave with Kitty after I propose to her, regardless of what her answer is. I hope she doesn't turn me down. Maybe it's still too early for her, but I want her to know that I want to be in her life forever. I want to be the father of Matthew and Kitty, and I just think everything will be a lot easier on her and Matthew if we were married before he was born."

"I'm sure it won't be hard at all to pull it off. I'm sure Mom would love to make the desserts for you two. You really want me to hire a personal chef?"

"I don't want to trouble Mom with it, but if she insists I would love to have her make the desserts for us. I just want everything to be as simple as possible to avoid errors. If it's easier to work with Mom than coordinating with a personal chef then go ahead with that. I'll leave that decision up to you. So, after dinner I'll take her to the property, one of you can escort her to the patio, then we'll all sing for her while she enjoys the desserts, and after that I'll drop down on my knees and propose to her. Does that sound pretty good?"

"Pretty good? Edward, I think it's fantabulous!" I chuckled at Alice's response. She really sounded excited and it gave me confidence that I was headed in the right direction. Alice was never one to compliment unless she really meant it. "I don't think you have to worry, I'm pretty sure Bella will say yes. Even if she doesn't on the spot, you don't have to worry about anything. She might feel overwhelmed and might not be able to respond to you then, but she will. Just don't look like someone kicked your puppy if she doesn't respond immediately. I'm sure if she doesn't respond on the spot, it's not because she doesn't want to. Sometimes words just don't flow so easily you know, she might just nod, or she might just hug you, or kiss you. Take that as a 'yes' until she looks ready to reply to you in words. I've known Bella for a long time, and she gets overwhelmed easily that she might not be able to form a coherent sentence after such a dramatic proposal."

"Thanks for the pep talk, sis. I think I needed it. Can I count on you to rent tables, chairs, and what not for the patio?"

"No worries, I'm sure I can convince my realtor friend to pull all of this off. I'm sure we can motivate her with a little bonus. Need any help with the date with Kitty?"

"I think I got that all under control. I'm thinking of taking Kitty shopping for a dress. I know you have lots of dresses, but would it be all right if I take her somewhere else? I saw a cute little boutique in Beverly Hills. I think it was called Marie Chantal. I don't mean to offend you. Just tell me if you'd rather have Kitty wear one of your dresses on Monday."

"Don't be silly, Edward. You know I buy her dresses that aren't my designs all the time. I think Marie Chantal is a fabulous designer. I'm surprised that you knew of her boutique. Do you know who she is?"

"Huh? No. She's not just a designer?"

"She's a designer, but foremost she's the crown princess of Greece. She started designing clothes for children from 2001, and opened a boutique in London in 2008 after having her fifth child. She has 3 boutiques here in the U.S. Two in New York and the one you saw in Beverly Hills on North Beverly Drive close to Williams Sonoma."

"Oh, I had no idea. I don't think Kitty would care who it is as long as she finds something she likes. Do you think she'll find something she likes?"

"I'm sure you won't have any problem. You'll be able to dress her from top to bottom there. She has shoes and accessories as well. Good luck then, Edward. I better get going and start on managing this event for ya. See you Monday. Bye!"

I felt much better after I got things sorted out with Dad and Alice. I went to check on Bella, but she was still sound asleep. I decided to eat the salad and one of the wraps, and put the rest in the fridge. I quickly ate and decided to turn myself in for the night. I got under the covers and Bella snuggled into my arms. I thought maybe she woke up, but her breathing was steady, and she was still asleep.

I woke to the sound of the covers being ruffled, and my eyes met with a pair of beautiful chocolate brown eyes belonging to the woman I love. "Good morning, sleepy head," Bella said and smiled. Bella was already dressed and looked like she had already showered as well. "I want to take you to the beach today. Let's have breakfast there." Bella looked really refreshed. Last night's sleep did wonders to her. She no longer had the faint dark circles around her eyes. Her eyes twinkled and she had good color back on her face.

"Mmmm. Five more minutes? Cuddle with me?" I begged her.

"Awww. I wish I could, but I really want to make the best with the time we have together alone. I know I shouldn't talk since I'm the one who wasted most of last night sleeping it away, but I really want to take you to the beach for breakfast," she said with remorse in her eyes.

"Love, you didn't waste last night away. It gave me time to do some things I needed to take care of, and I love that you look really refreshed today. You needed that rest. Let me jump in the shower real quick," I said and got out of bed. I gave her a peck on her lips and dashed to the bathroom.

**Bella POV**

I felt bad that I rushed Edward. I really wanted to take him to The Beachcomber at Crystal Cove for breakfast. The sky was clear and it was a really nice day for a stroll on the beach. If we went early, we'd be able to rent beach chairs and an umbrella so we could just sit out on the beach. There was a shuttle from the resort to the Crystal Cove, so we didn't need to take our car.

Edward was really quick, and he was in and out of the shower in less than ten minutes. We were lucky and got on the shuttle right before it was about to leave. We got to Crystal Cove in no time.

The Beachcomber was a little restaurant that was right on the sandy beach. It was a nice casual place that also had patio seating with umbrellas. We were lucky the place wasn't crowded yet, and we got to sit out in the patio facing the ocean.

Our server came and gave us the menu. I was starved and felt like having something heavy. I ordered the Filet Mignon Chilaquiles which was corn tortillas, filet mignon, spicy tomato salsa topped with avocado puree, sour cream, and sunny side up egg and a fruit smoothie. Edward ordered the Crystal cove omelet which was an omelet with bacon, cheddar and avocado, a side of Portuguese sausages, and buttermilk pancakes. He ordered a Bloody Mary, and I was happy that he wasn't foregoing alcoholic beverages because of me.

"I really like this place. It's got charm. I'm glad you brought me here," Edward said and kissed my hand. "I'll go and sort out the rentals now before the food arrives," Edward said and headed towards the front.

Something about the ocean always seemed to relax me. This was something I missed living with Edward. His place didn't have an ocean view. I liked my old place because I was able to wake up, and step out on the balcony, and watch the ocean and the sunset. Maybe in a few months I could talk Edward into moving. His place was gorgeous, and it was conveniently located near his work place, but I really missed the ocean view from the balcony of my old place.

Right as our server brought our food, Edward returned. "Wow, yours looks really good. Can I have a bite?"

"Of course you can," I said and forked some of my Filet Mignon Chilaquiles on his plate of omelet."

"Want some of mine?"

"Sure," I said and he forked some of the omelet and Portuguese sausages on to my plate.

After breakfast we relaxed on the beach. We each pulled a book out of the bag we brought and sipped the virgin frozen margarita Edward ordered before we left The Beachcomber. It felt nice to just chill out. We didn't need to strike up a conversation. We just enjoyed each other's company in silence as we listened to the crashing of the waves. Right around noon, we decided to head back to the resort. I had a surprise waiting for him. I booked myself a Deserving Mothers' Massage and Reflexology for him.

After the massage, we felt so relaxed we decided to take a nap before we ate lunch. We just wanted to cuddle and relax. After our nap we ordered some sandwiches and soup from the in-suite dining selection so that we wouldn't be too full for dinner and watched a movie instead of going out.

After the movie we both got dressed for dinner and headed to Andrea for dinner. We had planned to go there yesterday, but because I fell asleep, we didn't get to go last night, and I felt horrible about it. If we went there yesterday, we could have tried another restaurant here at the resort.

"What should we get for starters? Would you like me to pick a few?" Edward asked. Everything on the menu at Andrea looked really wonderful.

"That would be great. Everything looks so good. I can't choose."

I loved this about Edward. He knew when to provide assistance and when to let me voice my opinion. He never spoke for me unless I looked like I wanted him to step in.

"How about minestrone soup, eggplant parmigiana with fresh tomato sauce, seared day boat scallops with cauliflower puree and crispy pancetta for starters?"

"Mmmm. Perfect."

"How about we share pasta and order an entrée each?" Edward suggested.

"I think that sounds like a really great idea. I wanted to try their pasta, but their entrée looks wonderful too. Can I choose the pasta?"

"Of course, Love."

"How about the Fresh Hand Rolled Spaghetti with Chianti braised duck? It sounds really creative and something I've never seen on a menu anywhere."

"Great selection. I was interested in that as well."

"What are you choosing for your entrée? I'll choose something different so that we could share," I suggested.

"I'm interested in veal loin in pancetta wrap with eggplant camponata. How about you?"

"I think I want the pan seared prime beef filet and roasted cipolini with Barolo porcini sauce."

"Mmmm. That sounds really great too. So, shall we order?" I nodded and Edward motioned that we were ready to order.

The food was lovely and although I was rather full, I couldn't pass up the dessert. The dessert menu was just as appealing as the dinner menu. I decided on the Guanja chocolate macaroon with cocoa rice pudding and extra bitter chocolate sorbet. Edward chose the warm apple lasagna with apple cider jelly and chestnut gelato. Since Andrea was famous for their gelato made daily in authentic artisan fashion using the world's finest hand-crafted gelato maker, we also chose a plate of assorted homemade gelato.

We were so stuffed and couldn't move much so we curled up on the couch in the living room in our suite and chose another movie.

"Would you like me to go and run a bath for you? Just for you. I don't think I can keep my hands to myself if I got in the tub with you and I don't want you to get overheated like you did yesterday."

"Thanks, but I think I'm too full to soak in the tub. I think I'm just going to skip taking a bath tonight. Why don't I run a bath for you instead? I'll pull up a chair and keep you company in the bathroom. How about that? Let me do that for you. You do things like that for me all the time. Humor me," I said to Edward.

"I'd like that. I don't want you sitting on the floor, okay?"

I went to the bathroom and started the bath. I chose a lavender bath salt and poured it into the tub. When the bath was ready I called for Edward. Once he was in the tub, I pulled my chair up closer to him and washed his back with a sponge. After I finished his upper body, I started to wash his feet. Edward squirmed when I was washed between his toes.

"Bella, stop. It tickles," Edward tried to take his foot away from me, but I held onto it really tight. I never knew that his weak spot was his feet.

"Now I know your weak spot," I said and giggled.

"Bella…" he said and narrowed his eyes jokingly.

When I started to run the sponge up his thighs, he grabbed my hand and stopped me. "Tsk tsk tsk. Naughty, naughty. You're going to lose your balance and fall into the tub."

"I won't," I said and feigned a pout.

"Not gonna work, Bella." Then I proceeded to give him puppy eyes.

Edward sighed. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Not when I see my prize dangling right in front of me," I said and waggled my brows.

Edward laughed. "Silly Bella. You can play with it in bed. Not here. I think I've soaked long enough in the tub. Why don't you change into your pajamas and wait for me in bed? I'll dry myself off and grab a glass of water. Would you like something warm to drink before bed? Herbal tea? "

"Herbal tea sounds lovely. Thanks." I said to Edward and got out of the bathroom.

I changed into a midnight blue silk babydoll set I bought right before we came down here. I tucked myself in bed and waited for Edward. I know I didn't do much today but the massage I received at the spa really relaxed me and instead of rejuvenating me it relaxed me to the point that I just felt lazy and sleepy. I yawned several times while I waited for Edward.

**Edward POV**

I chuckled when I went into the bedroom. Bella was asleep again. I had a feeling that she might be, but I thought maybe she would have enough energy to stay up until she had her cup of herbal tea.

I carried the tea to the living room and settled into the couch. When I checked my phone, I noticed that Alice had sent me a text. It said that there were no early morning transportation back to Newport beach so they took the evening ferry and was already back at the beach house.

I enjoyed my time here with Bella, Kitty, and my family. I was sure Kitty and my family did too. I was worried about Bella, but she was full of energy, and looked genuinely happy today. I'm glad we didn't stay at the beach house. We all needed this weekend getaway badly after all that we went through with James.

I got up and started to pack my things so that I wouldn't have to leave the packing to Bella. I'm sure Alice and Rose would help her tomorrow, but I wanted to do my share. I kept a jacket, shirt, tie, and dress pants hanging in the closet so that I looked good for my date with Kitty tomorrow.

I went to the bedroom, and found Bella asleep, so I turned the lights out, got under the covers, and wrapped my arms around Bella.

I woke up literally being bounced on the bed. I swear I looked like Linda Blair in her act as Regan when she bounced on the bed when she was possessed in the Exorcist. When I looked around I noticed Alice and Kitty bouncing on the bed on opposite sides of each other with myself in between.

"Don't bounce on the bed," Bella yelled. "Kitty, you should know better, and Alice, how old are you? Get off the bed and leave Edward alone. You're going to give him a heart attack," Bella looked angry.

Alice and Kitty jumped off the bed and ran out of the bedroom giggling. Bella sighed. "I'm so sorry, Edward. I thought they were out in the terrace. I didn't know they were in here."

I patted beside me on the bed and Bella climbed onto the bed. "Relax, Bella. I'm all right. I was just surprised. That's all. No harm done," I said and ran my fingers through her hair and kissed her. "Did I oversleep?"

"They're just here early. Kitty and Alice was bored so they came out here much earlier than we expected them. It's only seven a.m. Rose is asleep on the couch. She said it was way too early for her." I couldn't agree with Rose more, but since I was already up, I decided to go take a shower.

On my way to the shower I picked Kitty up and showered her with kisses. Kitty gave me a really big smile and gave me a kiss. I put her down and told her I was looking forward to our date today.

After I showered and got dressed, I gathered the bags and went to say goodbye to Bella. "Love, I hope you have a really great girls' day out. Don't worry about Kitty. I'll make sure she has a great time," I said and gave her a kiss.

"Thanks, Edward. You don't have to do much. She'll be happy with just ice-cream."

"I want to do something special for her. I have the whole day planned. She's my date today. What kind of man would I be if I only take her out for ice-cream? I'll take pictures and send them throughout the day." Bella gave me a kiss and I took Kitty's hand and buckled her into her car seat.

**A/N **

I'm sorry I don't have Edward's date with Kitty included in this chapter. I've roughly written that part and it's already longer than this chapter so I had to split it into two chapters. I also felt that Kitty's date with Edward would overshadow this last day on the resort for Edward and Bella if it were together in the same chapter. This chapter ended up a little weak after I separated Kitty's proposal but I hope you all enjoyed it. I did include hints of what is going to happen on the day Edward is proposing. I've worked very very hard on Kitty and Edward's date. I just have to edit it and make sure I have everything I want in it.

Can I ask you all a favor? Can we get the review count up to 240 in this chapter? That means I'm going to need some of my silent readers to leave me reviews. I promise to make it worth your while. I'm probably biased since I'm the one writing this story, but I think Edward and Kitty's date turned out really adorable and heartwarming with lots of humor. I put a lot of thought into it. I promise to edit the next chapter really fast so you can all read it very soon so please leave a review and show me some love! I'm really excited to post the next chapter and the chapter after the date will be Edward's proposal to Bella! I have the details all picked out, I just have to write it!

Oh, did I mention in here that I started another story? It's a Jasper/Bella story so I'm not sure how many of you here would be interested since it's not an Edward/Bella story but so far the feedback I'm getting is quite good. My best friend likes Jasper so I'm hoping she enjoys it. If you have some free time and you're not against Jasper/Bella story, please have a look. It's called "Talk of the Town," and you'll be able to find it on my profile under "My stories"


	34. Chapter 34 Two of Pentacles

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

The links to the locations Edward took Kitty and items mentioned in this chapter are listed on my profile under Chapter 34 so that you can visually see and hopefully enjoy the story more.

**Chapter 34 Two of Pentacles**

**Characters: Edward, Kitty, Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper**

**Edward POV**

It was early so the drive back into LA was quick. We first stopped at my place. There was something I purchased for Kitty that I had for a while and realized that today was the perfect day to give it to her so after my brief stop at my place we headed to Beverly Hills to have breakfast at 208 Rodeo. I loved this restaurant on the corner of Wilshire and Rodeo Drive located next door to Tiffany's. It had patio seating with elegant linen covered tables that faced Rodeo drive. It was a fun place to "people watch" while we ate. Kids loved to do those things didn't they?

Luckily we got to sit in the patio. Our server asked us if we wanted one or two menus and I told her we'd like two. She knew Kitty was too young to read a menu, but she smiled and handed one to me, and the other to Kitty.

I squatted beside Kitty and helped her open the menu. I went from the top of the menu and explained what they were. When I got to French toast and explained to her it had bananas, candied pecans, and orange honey syrup, she said she wanted the French toast. I smiled at Kitty and got back in my seat. I quickly glanced over the menu and decided on Truffles Egg Tartine with breakfast potatoes as a side. I was sure Kitty wasn't going to be able to finish her French toast so I decided not to order anything else since I'd most likely have to finish hers. I signaled that we were ready to order and ordered the food with a glass of milk for Kitty and coffee for myself.

When the food came, I cut her French toast so that it'll be easier for her to eat and she wanted some of my Truffles Egg Tartine so I placed a few bites of it onto her plate.

"Yummy," Kitty said after she took a bite of her French toast. It really was very good. The bananas and the candied pecans were a perfect match and the orange in the honey syrup perfected the balance making the French toast not overly sweet.

"That lady looks funny," Kitty said and giggled. On the street was a blonde lady dressed in pink from top to bottom. She even had a pink hat with pink feathers on it. She was quite tall and muscular. When I looked carefully at her face the area around her jaw line was an odd color. It looked almost like a five o'clock shadow. I had a feeling she wasn't really a lady but a man. When I looked even closer I noticed that She-Man had a prominent adam's apple. I decided to just laugh with Kitty and opted not to explain that she was actually a man dressed in drag. Kitty's eyes were glued onto She-Man and gasped with shock in her eyes.

"She's a boy," Kitty said in shock. I was surprised she caught on. She couldn't know the difference. Could she? She was too young.

"Why do you think she's a boy?" I asked. Kitty pointed to my throat. I was shocked she knew about adam's apple.

"Who told you about this?" I asked pointing to my throat.

"Auntie Alice."

"Did she explain why some boys dress like girls?" Depending on the answer I was going to have a talk with Alice. Kitty was way too young to understand this concept.

"Auntie Alice said boys want to be pretty too. She said melonseashell was good."

"A what seashell?" I didn't have a clue what she was talking about.

"MELONSEASHELL," Kitty sounded irritated. "You don't know?" I shook my head.

"What is a melon seashell? Can you explain to me what it is?"

Kitty huffed. "Auntie Alice said Beckham was melonseashell," Kitty said looking proud that she knew something I didn't.

"David Beckham? The soccer player?" I asked. Kitty nodded.

Then it hit me. Kitty was trying to say metrosexual. I remembered reading an article referring to David Beckham as the poster boy for metrosexuals. I was irritated at Alice for feeding things to Kitty she couldn't understand yet. She couldn't even say the word properly. This wasn't the time or place to be upset over this so I let it go. I wanted to enjoy the time I had with Kitty today.

Our next stop was to meet with the realtor at the property. We arrived early but Alice's friend was already at the property as I noticed a car parked in the driveway. I quickly called her to let her know we arrived.

Alice's realtor friend, Julie, was a very sweet woman. She greeted Kitty after she introduced herself to me. She said she had grandchildren around Kitty's age. Kitty wore sandals today and I didn't want her to slip in the house so I carried her while Julie gave us the tour of the house. When Julie took us out to show us the pool, Kitty squealed and wanted to get down.

"Pool! Pool!" she said and bounced happily.

"You like the pool?" I asked. She nodded and ran around in circles. "Do you like the house too?"

"It's pretty. I like it."

"I'm glad you like it. I like it too."

When we got upstairs, Julie showed us the master bedroom first. It had a balcony with an ocean view. The view was beautiful and I was sure Bella was going to love it too. I let Kitty play in the back yard while I discussed the details with Julie in regards to my wish that I would give her my final answer this weekend. Julie told me that she was already informed by Alice that I wanted to propose to Bella in this house, and she wished me good luck.

I thanked her and left the property with Kitty. My next stop was Marie Chantal in Beverly Hills. My plan was to have Kitty pick out a dress and shoes for her to wear to afternoon tea.

It would have been great if we could have gone to Marie Chantal after we ate at 208 Rodeo but Julie was only open until noon today so unfortunately we had to come back to Beverly Hills from the Palisades.

When we stepped into Marie Chantal, Kitty gasped. "Pretty dresses," she said and tried to run towards them but I quickly stopped her so that she wouldn't slip and fall. I took her hand and walked towards the dresses.

The lady who worked in the store came to greet us. I explained to her that I was looking for a dress, matching shoes, and accessories for Kitty. I asked her to show Kitty some dresses in her size so that she could choose. The lady brought several dresses and started to show them to us.

The lady showed Kitty 3 dresses. One was white made of silk with puff sleeves, hand smocking on the chest, and a sash that tied in the back. The second dress was raspberry colored velvet with crystal belt buckle and a ribbon at the neck. The third dress was purple and made of silk with flounce trims on the neck, sleeves, and hemline. There were also three detailed button on the front.

"Do you like any of these dresses? Do you like the white one that looks like a princess' dress?"

Kitty shook her head. "I like this one," she said and pointed at the purple dress. I thought she would like the white one so I was surprised that she selected the purple one.

"Why do you want the purple one?" I wanted to make sure so that she wouldn't regret it after we purchased it.

"Auntie Alice said purple is regal." Some of the customers in the store overheard Kitty and giggled.

"Could you show us some shoes to match this dress and some accessories?"

The lady told us to follow her and we went to the shoes section. The lady showed us a pair of black leather Mary Jane and a pair of black ballet shoes with a bow. Kitty shook her head and pointed to a gold and black ballerina shoes. The shoe was gold with black enamel velcro strap and enamel toes. It was all leather so even though it was gold it didn't look so bad. I wasn't really sure if they matched the dress well but Kitty liked it so I decided to get it for her. She seemed to have her own sense of style and I didn't want to crush her by forcing another pair on her.

After we selected the shoes, the lady showed us headbands and head ribbons in sixteen different colors. Kitty picked up the lilac one and a purple one. While she debated on which one to choose I spotted a cute faux fur jacket with enamel and gold buttons. It was too warm to wear during the day but during the evening if it got chilly the jacket was perfect. I told the lady I wanted the jacket in her size as well. After I went back to Kitty, she was still battling with which one to choose. I imagined that selecting a head ribbon was similar to me choosing a tie, so I took her in front of a mirror and held the lilac one on the left side of her head above her ear and the purple one on the right side so that she could see how they looked. After she pushed my hand away that held the lilac one, she smiled and told me she wanted the purple one.

I told the lady we would take the dress, shoes, coat, and the head ribbon but I needed to use the dressing room to change her into the dress after the purchase. After I was done helping Kitty change Kitty skipped out of the store dragging me behind her.

"Are you happy with the dress?"

"Yes," Kitty said and gave me a peck on my cheek.

We still had time until the reservation for our next stop on our date. "Would you like to see more dresses?" Kitty nodded happily.

We took a short drive to Saks and went to the children's section. I spotted a light blue silk and cotton blend dress with a subtle sheen and ruffles that I liked and showed it to Kitty. Her eyes twinkled and told me that she liked it.

"Can I have shoes too?" she asked. Wow, she wasn't even four years old but was already into shoes. I already knew who to blame. After hanging out with Kitty I felt like I needed to change my stance on nature versus nurture. Alice's nurturing definitely overpowered hereditary traits from Bella's DNA.

We walked to the shoes section. Her hands immediately went to a pair of silver Mary Jane. I was a little surprised by the price tag but understood as soon as I saw the label. They were made by Prada. We already purchased a pair of gold ballerina flats at Marie Chantal, so I thought something more plain would be better, but since she seemed to like this silver one I told her I would get them for her. I wondered if little children were attracted to shiny little things like raccoons. First she selected a silver pair, and now a gold one. I wasn't really surprised though, many babies that I saw at the clinic seemed to like the shiny parts of my stethoscope too.

While we walked towards checkout, Kitty saw pajamas paired with a story book. She looked up and fluttered her eyelashes at me. I realized that even though she was young, she already knew how to make men fall on their knees without so much as a wink or smile. The female kind must have it ingrained in their DNA.

There were three different kinds of pajama book set. "Which one do you want?" I asked.

She looked up at me from underneath her eyelashes and fluttered them again. "It's not your birthday or Christmas so I'm not getting you all three of them. You need to choose one," I said to her firmly. I didn't think Bella would be too happy if I bought three of them for her, and she definitely didn't need all three of them. I also wanted to make sure she knew that she wasn't always going to get her way with me. Kitty pouted but I shook my head. She puffed her cheek but nodded and pointed to the one that was called "Pinkalicious." I checked for her size, and grabbed size 4 thinking it might shrink a little, and loose pajamas were definitely more comfortable. I held the pants part of the pajamas and made sure they weren't too long on her since I selected size 4 instead of 3. They were a little long but considering shrinkage and the speed she was growing, I went ahead with size 4.

It was almost time for Tea, so we headed back to the car, and drove up to Pasadena. It seemed like we were going left and right with Beverly Hills as the focal point. I was glad Kitty didn't get car sick since we've been driving around a lot. I had just gotten this Mercedes-Benz GL550 last week. I was now an owner of an SUV. When I went into the dealership with Emmett my eyes immediately flew to their SLR McLaren Roadster, but I had to stop myself, and head down to where the SUVs were. I was there to get a family car. The temptation was overbearing but Emmett patted my back and told me to be a man. I was sad, but with Matthew on the way, Kitty entering nursery, and her interest in taking piano lessons we needed a car to transport the kids around. Kitty would make friends and we would most likely need to transport her and her friends for ice-cream, amusement parks, zoos, and many other places children enjoyed going.

Kitty looked a little tired but as soon a she saw the tea room she perked up again. As we entered Scarlet Tea Room, we were immediately greeted.

"Table for two?"

"Yes. For myself and my little lady," I said and Kitty giggled.

"Aww. You're so lucky to have such a nice Daddy," she said.

Kitty shook her head, smirked, and said, "date." Our server smiled and told Kitty that she was a lucky girl.

"Your server will be with you shortly," she said and gave us both a menu. Like I did in the morning I went and squatted beside Kitty and read her the selection of the tea sandwiches. For the 5 course afternoon tea ceremony we needed to select 4 of them each. Kitty said she wanted the Cucumber and Watercress, French ham and Provolone, Mascarpone with Citrus Marmalade, and Turkey and Cranberries. I chose the Egg salad with Tarragon, Green Apples and Cheese, Roast Beef and Aged White Cheddar, and Salmon and Chive Spread so that Kitty could enjoy ones than she hadn't picked. As soon as our server arrived, I asked for the 5 course afternoon tea ceremony for both of us and told her our selection of the tea sandwiches. I selected a pot of tea from the caffeine free selection called "Amour" for Kitty, which was an infusion of strawberries and hibiscus. I chose one called "Ceylon," for me. I assumed it was probably a blend of Orange Pekoe.

The scones, sandwiches, and cakes came in an elegant 3-tiered trays laced with a faux grapevine. I poured her tea then I asked which sandwich she wanted to eat first. She told me she wanted to eat the cucumber sandwich so I placed that on her plate. Once we finished eating the sandwiches and the scones, I decided it was time for me to ask her opinion on how she felt if I became her father and Bella's husband.

"Kitty, I'd like to ask you a question, and I want you to answer me honestly. Can you do that for me?"

"Okay," she said and looked curious.

"Do you remember the time when I met you at the airport? You told me your Daddy was up in the clouds? Your Daddy is up in the clouds and watching you from there, and he is also right here in your heart, he loves you very much and even though he wants to, he can't take care of you anymore. I love you very much and I was hoping if I could be your Daddy here. You'll have your Daddy up in the clouds and me as your Daddy here. Do you think I can be your Daddy?" Kitty's eyes twinkled and her face lit up. She gave me the biggest smile I've ever seen on her.

"Yes. Yes. I want you as my Daddy," she said and bounced in her chair.

"Thank you Kitty. It would be an honor to be your Daddy. For me to be your Daddy, I also need to be your Mommy's husband. Do you know what a husband is?" Kitty looked like she was in deep thought, and shook her head.

"A husband is someone who loves your Mommy and takes very good care of her. I really love your Mommy and would like to be her husband. Would it be okay for me to be her husband, so that I can love and take very good care of her?"

"Okay. Auntie Rosie said when a boy loves a girl he gives her diamonds. Will you buy Mommy diamonds? Auntie Rosie has many pretty diamonds but I don't think Mommy has many." I chuckled at her response. It really sounded like something Rose would say. I had a mental image of the music video "Material Girl" running through my head except Rose was in it instead of Madonna. I quickly erased the horrific image off my head.

"I'm going to give your Mommy a diamond ring, but I want you to know that loving someone is not only about buying diamonds and other pretty things. When you are sad your Mommy hugs and kisses you, right?" Kitty nodded. "When you are happy, your Mommy looks happy, right?" Kitty nodded. "When you are lonely, your Mommy holds your hand, right?" Kitty nodded. "When you are sick, your mommy takes care of you so that you feel better, right?" Kitty nodded. "I want to do all those things and more for your Mommy. Will you let me do that for her?"

"Okay," Kitty said and smiled. I hoped she understood what I said, but even if she didn't understand today maybe one day she will recall this day and understand what I asked her.

I also had a gift for her. I purchased a star for Kitty in Stephen's name and hers. The gift set included a teddy bear, star certificate, launch certificate, online access to view the star, and virtual planetarium astronomy software.

"I also have something special for you. Did you know that your Daddy was a rock star? He sang many great songs and had many fans. Well guess what, he's also a star in the sky now with you," I said to her and showed her the certificate and the bear. "See these stars? This one is you, and this one is your Daddy."

Kitty's eyes sparkled. "These are real stars?" I nodded. "Can I see Daddy's star and my star in the sky?"

"Yes you can from my computer. When we get home we'll see the stars together, okay?" Kitty nodded happily.

After I gave her the teddy bear we finished eating the cakes and the Strawberries Romanoff. Kitty told me she needed to go the bathroom so I took her hand and led her towards the men's room, but she shook her head repetitively, and pointed towards the ladies room.

"Kitty, I can't go in there, and you can't go to the bathroom by yourself. If you'll go in the men's room with me I'll take you somewhere really special next. Will you please let me take you to the men's room?" I felt horrible for bribing her but I really didn't have any other choice. Kitty looked desperate and was clutching her privates. I just didn't trust strangers to take her into the ladies room and there was no time to go and find someone who worked here to assist her in the ladies room.

Kitty wasn't very happy but she cooperated with me. After helping her to take care of her business I changed her back into her casual clothes to prepare for our next stop I planned for our date. Once she was changed back into her original clothing I settled the check and we left the Tea room.

Once I buckled her into her car seat I asked. "Have you ever been to the Kid's Castle?"

"What's a Kid's Castle?"

"Kid's castle is like an amusement park and looks like a castle. Do you remember the place we used to go near where you used to live by the ocean that had a Ferris wheel and roller coaster?" she nodded. "It's sort of like that place. It doesn't have a Ferris wheel but they have many other fun things. Does that sound good?"

"Yay," she said and bounced in her car seat.

When we got to the Kid's Castle Kitty squealed and pointed at the green dragon on top of the castle. She bounced and dashed towards the entrance pulling me behind her. She was really excited and told me to hurry up. The place was very similar to the one in the Excalibur hotel in Las Vegas but much bigger. This place was over 15,000 sq ft. This place was superior to the place with the mice and cheese.

We first spotted a castle like jungle gym and Kitty got inside. She stuck her head out of the dragon and I took a picture. I sent the picture to Bella, Alice, Rose, Mom, and Emmett. I immediately got a text back from Emmett.

"_Damn you. Why didn't you ask me to come along? Why do you always get to have all the fun? You even got on the Gondola ride in Vegas,"_ was the text Emmett sent me. I chuckled. This was the exact reaction I wanted from Emmett.

After Kitty came out of the jungle gym, she pointed to the roller coaster. The roller coaster was made for children so it wasn't like a thrill ride but Kitty laughed and clapped her hands in joy. We played some games and won some prizes. Kitty looked a little worn out since she hadn't napped today. I bought her a stuffed animal dragon and headed to the restaurant.

"What would you like to eat? Oh, I have an idea. Why don't we order all that is on the kids menu?" I suggested to Kitty. This was something my parents did for Emmett, Alice and me when they used to take us to amusement parks. This place had healthier selections than we did when we were kids.

"Wow, really? All of it? Wow." Kitty looked excited.

"You can eat as much as you want and I'll eat the rest," I said to her. I was really hungry. The dainty food at the tea room hadn't filled my stomach at all. There was something I wanted to do too. I wanted to take a picture of the food we purchase and send it to Emmett to make him jealous.

We got the grilled chicken tender strips, chicken nuggets, fresh vegetable and cheese, beef hotdog, beef mini burger, grilled cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese, kid's castle salad, and a slice of pepperoni pizza.

I made Kitty hold up a knife and fork in each of her hands and made her pose in front of the food. I took a picture and immediately sent it to Emmett.

While we ate I got a text from Emmett. "_Look behind you_," the text said. When I looked back, I thought I was going to fall backwards in my chair. There behind me stood Emmett, Dad, and Jasper grinning like idiots.

"Seriously?" My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe they came up to Burbank to join us.

Kitty looked sleepy and dead on her feet when we came to the restaurant but she now bounced happily in her seat. The food we ordered was not enough for four adults and Kitty so Emmett went to get some more food.

Kitty jumped into my Dad's lap and gave him a kiss. Dad looked really happy. "I haven't been to one of these places ever since you all got too old to hang out with your mother and me. When Emmett said you were here, I was actually the one to suggest joining you two. I hope we're not intruding."

"Wow, I just assumed it was Emmett's idea. Kitty looks thrilled you are all here so you are all welcome," I said to Dad.

"So how did everything go today?"

"Perfect. I think Kitty had a great day," I said and looked at Kitty. "Did you have a great time today?" I asked Kitty.

"Yes. Daddy got me pretty dresses and shoes." Kitty said to Dad. I thought I heard wrong. I immediately looked at Dad and he looked surprised as well. I guess I heard it correctly. Kitty just called me "Dad." I did ask her if I can be her Daddy early today but I didn't think she'd start calling me Daddy so soon. I was really excited and I couldn't wipe the grin off my face even if I tried although I had no intention of doing that.

After we finished our dinner we went to play some more games and won a lot of prizes for Kitty. It was almost an hour past Kitty's bedtime but she was hyper from all the excitement, but thankfully by the time we headed out to the parking lot she was dead on her feet. I scooped her up and carried her towards the car.

"You're going to be a great Dad," Jasper said and patted me on my back.

"Thanks. I hope so."

"I don't think I've seen Kitty this happy in a long time. What did you guys do?"

"I bought her shoes," I chuckled. "But I'm hoping it had more to do with me asking her if I could be her Daddy."

"Ah! That's why. She's wanted you to be her Dad for a while now. I'm glad her wish came true."

"Hopefully I can make it official soon."

"I have no doubt in my mind. Bella will say yes. Your proposal is going to raise the bar high for Emmett and me," Jasper chuckled.

"Do you think it's too much?"

"I don't think so. I think Bella is gonna love it because we're all going to enjoy it too. She's like that. It's a good thing you're proposing at the house and not where there are a lot of strangers around. She would be too embarrassed. Just relax. She'll love it."

"Thanks Jazz. Also thanks for putting the band together. I wouldn't be able to pull this off without all of you."

"Don't mention it. I think we should be thanking you for letting us participate in such an important event in your lives. I'm gonna have so much fun with the band too. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't played in a band since Stephen moved away. I really miss it. Thanks for this opportunity," Jazz said and gripped my shoulder.

I quickly buckled Kitty into her car seat while Jazz dumped all the prizes in the backseat. I said goodnight to Jazz, Emmett, and Dad, and headed home where my love waited for me.

* * *

**A/N**

Okay, so I didn't reach 240 reviews but I'm not that cocky. I wouldn't make all the readers who reviewed for me for the last chapter wait just to reach a certain number.

Did you like this chapter? I hope it was a fun chapter for you all. I tried to put humor in but at the same time show how much Edward cared for Kitty. Please leave a review and let me know!

I first thought just for kicks I'd throw in a scene from Pretty woman where Vivian and Edward goes shopping instead in my case it would be Edward and Kitty. You know that scene in the store where Edward asks the store clerk, "You see this young lady over here? Do you have anything in this shop as beautiful as she is?" And he says he's going to be spending an obscene amount of money in there and that they need major sucking up to do. I thought it would be hilarious but after I started writing it I scrapped it and made it a little more realistic.

Show me some love and leave me a review. I hope to make you all envious of Bella when you read the next chapter when Edward proposes to her. Want to read it real soon? Please leave me a review! For teasers I have a couple links on my profile for the next chapter under Chapter 35 but I don't have the important songs that they all sing together so that I don't spoil the fun.

Please review!


	35. Chapter 35 Four of Wands

**A/N **

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

I don't own the songs mentioned in this chapter either. (Credits on the author's note at the end of the chapter)

Links to the place where Edward took Bella for dinner, Bella's outfit, song Edward and the Cullens sing before the proposal etc. are on my profile under Chapter 35.

If you could, please don't skip the lyrics of the songs I have in this chapter. I'm borrowing the words from The Beatles. It's a vital part of this chapter. I couldn't write anything as beautiful as they did so instead of my words I've borrowed their lyrics to convey what I wanted Edward to express to Bella. If you can, please listen to the songs. I have the links on my profile. Some of them are actual performances of the songs by the Beatles but some are just the song with slideshow of pictures of them. Paul McCartney performed on MTV Unplugged and sang some of those songs in 1991 and I've added a few of those links for anyone who wants to see them.

I hope you enjoy the chapter! It's in Bella's POV.

**Chapter 35 Four of Wands**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Alice, Esme, and Kitty**

**Playlist for this chapter : **

***I've just seen a Face (The Beatles)**

***Till there was you (Cover song by The Beatles)**

***Here, There, and Everywhere (The Beatles)**

***And I love her (The Beatles)**

***Every Little Thing (The Beatles)**

(These aren't the most popular songs by the Beatles but definitely some of their greatest love songs they've written in my opinion.)

**Bella POV**

I wasn't sure what was up with Edward this week. He was on the phone a lot and was rarely home for dinner all this week. There had to be something going on that I wasn't privy to. Even Kitty acted strange. I'd find her looking at me, and when our eyes met she'd giggle. I wasn't sure what happened on the day Edward took Kitty out but after Monday she started to call Edward as Daddy. He looked ecstatic every time she called him that. I asked Kitty why she called Edward as Daddy now, but she didn't really give me a satisfactory answer. She just told me that she wanted him to be her Daddy and that Edward also said he wanted to be her Dad too.

On Tuesday evening I saw them looking at stars on his computer. When I asked them what they were doing, Edward told me that he purchased two stars for Kitty and named one as Stephen and the other as Kitty so that they could be side by side to each other in the sky. I thanked him for the sweet gesture. I felt a little guilty that I hadn't been as attentive to Kitty's feelings as much as Edward was. I tried my best but I also had loss of Stephen and the pregnancy to deal with so I couldn't just focus on Kitty. It was a tremendous relief to know that Kitty considered Edward as Daddy now.

Kitty told me that she had a great time on Monday, and they both looked genuinely happy, so I let it slide that Edward really spoiled her. He left earlier telling me that he would be back to pick me up to take me to dinner. Esme dropped by earlier to pick Kitty up to watch her while Edward and I went to dinner.

I changed into a black viscose cowl neck dress with rhinestone belt I bought from Christian Siriano's Fierce Mamas line. I was thankful for all designers who made maternity clothing. I never really cared much about how I dressed until I started working with Alice at her boutique. She made me read fashion magazines and watch fashion related TV programs like Project Runway. Christian Siriano was the winner of the fourth season of Project Runway. When I read that he started a line of maternity wear I checked out the website and found this black dress. It was simple, elegant, yet very easy to wear. As I slipped on a pair of Tory Burch's jeweled ballerina flats I bought at Fashion Island last Monday on the way back from Balboa, Edward came back and stepped into the bedroom.

"You look absolutely stunning. No. You're always absolutely stunning. I wanted to say that you look beautiful in that dress. But you're always beautiful. I meant to say that the outfit enhances your beauty," Edward kept correcting himself. He was over thinking everything. He was never like this. He looked very frustrated at himself. He always knew the perfect words to compliment me. I wondered what was wrong.

"Where are you taking me tonight?" I asked Edward.

"We're dining in Pasadena. I found this little charming cottage restaurant when I took Kitty out on Monday. I think you'll like it."

The traffic was quite heavy to get to Pasadena since it was the weekend. The Raymond was hidden from the streets and it was charming just like Edward described. I learned that this restaurant used to be the caretaker's cottage of the Raymond Hotel built in 1901. I liked the classic feel to it. It was one of those places that you either loved it or hated it and I loved it. Edward always chose places I'd love.

"Bella, I have plans for dessert, so I hope you don't mind that we pass up the desserts here."

"That's fine, Edward. Thank you for bringing me here. This patio is really charming. I really love this place." Edward smiled but he looked really tense for some reason.

We decided on Crispy Pork Belly and Barrel Aged Gastrique, roasted foie gras, and Maine scallops for appetizer. Edward chose the Crispy Maple Leaf Duck and I chose Organic Free Range Jidori chicken breast which had Spanish goat cheese filling and potato pureed potatoes with organic mushroom sauce.

After dinner he told me we were driving to the Palisades and that he had a surprise dessert waiting for me. I narrowed my eyes jokingly at him. Normally he would instantly recognize that I was just kidding but for a second I saw panic in his eyes. I started to feel a little concerned. Why did he look so nervous? Was he on the verge of a breakdown? Should I call Carlisle tomorrow and ask him to checkup on Edward? I silently thought to myself.

Edward drove into a residential area and I started to wonder what he was trying to do. He pulled into a driveway and I immediately noticed cars that I knew. Parked in the driveway were Emmett's jeep, Jasper's Mustang, and Alice's Porsche.

"Wow, this is a beautiful house, but why are your family's cars parked here? Is there a party going on here?"

"Kind of. You'll know in a minute," Edward smiled but anxiety rolled off him.

Rosalie and Kitty greeted us when we entered the house. "Kitty? What are you doing here?" Kitty scrunched her nose and looked at Rosalie.

"You'll find out soon. Follow me, Bella," Rosalie said and she led me to the patio of the house. When I looked behind me, Edward was nowhere to be found. The house was basically empty and it looked like no one lived here. There was an area curtained off from the ceiling right across from the patio. I heard someone cough from behind the curtained area and I was sure the cough belonged to Emmett.

"Rose, what's Emmett doing behind the curtain?" Rosalie shrugged her shoulders and forced me to sit at the table in the patio. The patio was decorated with many different kinds of white flowers such as gardenias, roses, white orchids, calla lilies, and stephanotis to name a few that I recognized. There were also many candles lit in the patio. Too many to count. The patio was lovely, but I felt alone not knowing what was up.

Shortly after I sat at the table, Esme came and brought me tea and a plate of petite fours with ice cream and fruit sauce. "Esme, where's Edward? Why am I eating dessert alone?"

Esme touched my cheek and whispered into my ear, "Sit back and relax. Let him do this for you. It means a lot to him. Take a mental picture and try not to forget this moment." I nodded and decided to relax. Esme sat in one of the chairs in the far end of the patio, and Rosalie and Alice came out with Kitty and also sat in the chairs by Esme. I noticed that Rosalie held a video camera in her hands.

The next minute, everything went dark except this candle lit patio. I heard the curtains drop and the area that used to be curtained off lit with spotlights. Right in front of me I saw Emmett on drums, Jasper and Carlisle on guitar, and Edward stood in front of the mic with a bass guitar.

Then they all started to play and sing. I recognized the tune that it was "I've just seen a face" by the Beatles. I grew up listening to the Beatles. They were my Mom's favorite band but I didn't remembering telling Edward that. She liked a lot of things from the 60s and the 70s. We used to watch "That '70s Show" together. Even after I moved to Forks she sometimes called me while the show was on and described to me what went on when I wasn't in front of the TV. I felt a little nostalgic as I listened to them perform.

_I've just seen a face,_

_I can't forget the time or place_

_That we'd just met, she's just the girl for me_

_And I want all the world to see we've met_

_Had it been another day_

_I might have looked the other way_

_And I had never been aware_

_But as it is I'll dream of her tonight_

_Falling, yes I am falling_

_And she keeps calling me back again_

_I have never known_

_The likes of this, I've been alone_

_And I have missed things and kept out of sight_

_But other girls were never quite like this_

_Falling, yes I am falling_

_And she keeps calling me back again_

They were really great and I never knew Edward had such a beautiful voice. They were in unison and I assumed they must have practiced a lot to perform for me. I was instantly relieved that I now knew why Edward looked so nervous this week and wasn't home much for dinner. When I concentrated on the lyrics it reminded me of I the first time we met in O'Hare.

When they started to play the next song, I instantly recognized that it was "Till there was you." I liked this Beatles cover from The Music Man much better because of the acoustic arrangement, soft latin beat, and bongos than the way it was originally sung by Shirley Jones. This song was very soothing and it made me feel like I was a tropical resort.

_There were bells on a hill  
But I never heard them ringing  
No I never heard them at all  
Till there was you_

There were birds in the sky  
But I never saw them winging  
No I never saw them at all  
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses  
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew

There was love all around  
But I never heard it singing  
No I never heard it at all  
Till there was you

Then there was music and wonderful roses  
They tell me in sweet fragrant meadows of dawn and dew

There was love all around  
But I never heard it singing  
No I never heard it at all  
Till there was you  
Till there was you

The lyrics reminded me of the days when I felt empty until Edward walked into my life. Nothing appealed to me. All my senses shut down. I never heard the birds, I didn't smell the fresh cut grass, I didn't feel the breeze, and I didn't even feel the sun. I just existed. Time just passed leaving me behind. Things changed dramatically after I met Edward. Was Edward trying to tell me that he felt that way until he met me? When the song finished I recognized that the song they now started to sing was "Here, There, and Everywhere."

_To lead a better life I need my love to be here..._

_Here, making each day of the year_

_Changing my life with a wave of her hand_

_Nobody can deny that there's something there_

_There, running my hands through her hair_

_Both of us thinking how good it can be_

_Someone is speaking but she doesn't know he's there_

_I want her everywhere and if she's beside me_

_I know I need never care_

_But to love her is to need her everywhere_

_Knowing that love is to share_

_Each one believing that love never dies_

_Watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there_

_To be there and everywhere_

_Here, there and everywhere_

Edward sang while he looked straight into my eyes. I suddenly realized that these songs were meant for me to tell me how he felt about me. I felt like an idiot that I didn't catch on sooner. I could no longer sit and listen. I stood up and mouthed to him that I loved him. I really wanted to shout to him that I wanted him around me all the time, and that I also needed him to lead a better life.

I was in tears by the time they started to sing "And I Love Her." I covered my mouth with my hand to stop my cries. I could no longer focus on anyone else. I felt like we were the only ones existing in this bubble of ours.

_I give her all my love  
That__'s__ all I do  
And if you saw my love  
You__'d__ love her too  
I love her_

She gives me ev_'__rything  
And tenderly  
The kiss my lover brings  
She brings to me  
And I love her_

A love like ours  
Could never die  
As long as I  
Have you near me

Bright are the stars that shine  
Dark is the sky  
I know this love of mine  
Will never die  
And I love her  


Tears ran down my cheeks. My heart felt like it was being squeezed. I felt the love Edward was trying to show me through this song that our love was for forever. After he finished the song he blew me a kiss and walked off the stage. Carlisle started to sing "Every Little Thing," as the main vocal instead of Edward.

_When I__'__m walking beside her_

_People tell me I__'__m lucky.  
Yes, I know I__'__m a lucky guy.  
I remember the first time  
I was lonely without her.  
Can__'__t stop thinking about her now.  
Every little thing she does,  
She does for me, yeah.  
And you know the things she does,  
She does for me, oooh.  
When I__'__m with her I__'__m happy  
Just to know that she loves me.  
Yes, I know that she loves me now.  
There is one thing I__'__m sure of,  
I will love her forever.  
For I know love will never die.  
Every little thing she does,  
She does for me, yeah.  
And you know the things she does,  
She does for me, oooh.  
Every little thing she does,  
She does for me, yeah.  
And you know the things she does,  
She does for me, oooh.  
Every little thing.  
Every little thing.  
Every little ..._

Carlisle looked at me while he sang but he occasionally looked at Esme. I was sure he was singing this for me but I could tell he had Esme on his mind. Emmett looked at Rosalie, and Jasper looked at Alice while they sang as well. Towards the end of the song Edward came out into the patio with Kitty beside him holding a bouquet of red roses. They both smiled at me as they walked towards me. I smiled back to them. I couldn't wait to hold him to tell him that I loved him.

The next thing he did took my breath away. Edward got down on his knees and handed me the bouquet that Kitty held. Attached in the center of the bouquet was a sparkling heart shaped diamond ring.

I felt my jaw drop in surprise. My hands instantly flew to cover my mouth. I loved the songs and I loved the lyrics. It went straight to my heart but I just never expected that it was a prelude to his proposal. Large drops of tears rolled down my cheeks continuously. I was overwhelmed and my body trembled.　

"Bella, from the moment I laid my eyes on you, I couldn't stop thinking about you. You have changed me into a better person. You and Kitty brought light into my world that I didn't even know I was missing. You have loved me, cared for me, cherished me, and I want to do the same for you. I love you Bella. I want you and I need you. My life won't be complete until I have you, Kitty, and Matthew as mine. You're my life now. I can't live without you. I promise to be the man that you would be proud to call as husband and father of Kitty and Matthew. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

I was so overwhelmed. Edward and the Cullens had done so much to create this special moment just for me. Love that emanated from them surrounded me. I held up my left hand and signaled to him that I needed a moment. I had to compose myself and take a deep breath. Once I got myself down to sniffles I gave him a kiss before I said what I needed to tell him.

"Thank you for the songs. You guys were amazing. I felt touched with your words. I think the moment I saw you in Chicago I felt a pull towards you. *sniffle* You gave me hope that I can love and be loved again. I have so much baggage but instead of running away you took it upon your shoulders. You are a wonderful man. No one would have done what you have done for me and I don't know what I did to deserve you. You are already the man that I am proud of. *sniffle sniffle sniffle* I love you and cannot live without you. Yes. It would be an honor *sniffle* to be your wife."

"Yes?"

"Yes." I said and nodded. Edward had the brightest smile on him and pulled the ring out of the bouquet. He took my left hand and slipped the ring onto my finger.

We kissed and the whole patio shook from stomps, claps, whistles, and bounces. I glanced over to Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle on stage and mouthed "Thank you." They blew me kisses and walked off the stage away from our sight. When I looked behind Edward to see Esme, Rosalie, and Alice, they winked and nodded at me. Kitty hugged Edward and I. Edward picked her up, cradled her, and gave her a kiss. Then I was blinded with flashes. Jasper stood a few feet away with his camera and took pictures of us as we hugged each other. He smiled and waved at us and left the patio. Shortly after, Esme came and took Kitty away.

Edward looked at me lovingly, brushed away my tears, and kissed me again. I heard the sounds of the cars driving away from the house. I realized they had left and we were now alone in this house.

"Thank you for accepting my proposal. I do have one more important question." I tilted my head in question. "What do you think of this house?"

"It's a beautiful house. I envy the owner. It has a beautiful view of the ocean and the mountain backdrop."

"Ummm. So you like it?"

"Yeah. I think it's an absolutely gorgeous house. Why do you keep asking me about this house?"

"Ummm. I'm bidding on this house. Would it be all right if I bought this house for us to move in together as a family?"

I gasped. "This house is up for sale? Really?" Edward nodded and smiled. "I'd love it if we could purchase this house but on one condition. I'd like to pay half of it. I'm going to be your wife and I want us to be equals. Deal?"

"Bella, I want to buy this as a gift to you for letting me be your husband and father to Kitty and Matthew," Edward begged with his eyes.

"Edward, I want to buy this house for you too."

"You love this house but won't move in unless you get to pay half?" I nodded.

Edward sighed. "Okay. Let's buy this house together."

I squealed like Kitty and kissed Edward. "Will you give me a tour of this house?"

Edward helped me out of the chair and led me into the house to give me the tour. "So, what do you think?"

"I think it's a beautiful house. The pool and the backyard are gorgeous. The kids will absolutely love it. The kitchen is charming, and I'm running out of words to describe how wonderful this house is. How did you find it?"

"I've actually been house hunting for more than a month. Alice and Mom assisted me as well. I know you loved your old place because it had a beautiful view of the ocean and I remembered you telling me that the view of the ocean helped you relax. On Saturday Mom and Alice called from LA to tell me that they found a house that matched my requirements exactly. They sent me an email with pictures and I fell in love with it instantly."

"Wait. What? Did you say Esme and Alice were in LA on Saturday? They were in Catalina."

"Alice got the call from her realtor friend so Mom and Alice left Catalina to see the property on Saturday and returned to Catalina back in the evening."

"Wow, they did all that so that we could purchase this house?" Edward nodded.

"We are so indebted to your family for life. Not just them, Rosalie and Jasper too."

"We have a whole life ahead of us to show how much we appreciate them although I don't think they did it to be appreciated. They love you and Kitty."

"Well, what's next for us?" I asked.

"Do you want a wedding?" Edward asked and gave me a peck on my nose.

* * *

**A/N **

Just to let you know, the wedding is not the next chapter. I'm still debating if the wedding should come before or after the baby is born.

How did I do? Did you like this chapter? I listened to tons of songs until I decided that Beatles had the songs that perfectly matched what I wanted to portray and then listened to their songs for days till I narrowed it down to the songs I mentioned in this chapter.

My imagination went wild as soon as I settled on using just the Beatles songs. I easily imagined Carlisle as John Lennon (making him wear glasses), Edward as Paul McCartney, Emmett as Ringo Starr, and Jasper as George Harrison. I laughed a lot and had a lot of fun with that.

During my search for the songs to use here I also ran into Jon Bon Jovi singing Diamond Ring. I debated whether to use it or not, I didn't want to take away anything from the Beatles. I wrote it into the chapter and had Edward sing it to her right before the proposal but at the last minute I took it out. It was yummy to imagine Edward /Rob Pattinson sing "Diamond Ring" instead of Jon Bon Jovi but after sleeping on it for several nights I scrapped it. It just messed up the balance of the songs I chose. To all my readers who saw the link of "Diamond Ring" on my profile before I took it off, please accept my apology. Another song I scrapped was "Eight Days a Week" by the Beatles. It's much more popular than some of the songs in here but the song was just too upbeat to balance with the other songs and the lyrics didn't touch my heart like the other songs did. I replaced this song with "Till there was you."

Please leave a review and give me some feedback if you liked this chapter or not. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter but I'm obviously biased since I wrote it and would really like to know what you all thought. **Please leave a review!**

**Song Credits**

**I've just seen a Face**

_Written by Paul McCartney (credited Lennon/McCartney) included in their 5th album, Help! - released on August 6, 1965. Recorded in Abbey Road Studios in London. This song is one of the very few guitar based song that lacks a bass line. (Wikipedia)_

**Here, There, and Everywhere**

_Written primarily by Paul McCartney (credited Lennon/McCartney) included in their 7__th__ album, Revolver - released on August 5, 1966 Recorded in Abbey Road Studios in London. _

_This song was used in the TV series Friends when Phoebe walks down the aisle during her wedding._

_Both Lennon and McCartney said this was one of their favorite songs. (Wikipedia)_

**Till there was you **

_Written by Meredith Wilson for the 1957 Musical play The Music Man and appeared in the 1962 movie version. The Beatles version of this song was included in their second album, With the Beatles, released on November 22__, __1963. This song was used in The Wedding Singer where Robbie teaches Rosie to sing this song for her 50__th__ wedding anniversary. (Wikipedia and thebeatles com)_

**And I love her**

_Written mainly by Paul McCartney and that John Lennon claims that he contributed the middle eight section ("A love like ours/Could never die/As long as I/Have you near me") but McCartney insists that he wrote the middle eight section.(credited Lennon/McCartney),included in the album A Hard Day's Night - 3rd album released by the Beatles on July 10,1964. One of the few Beatles' songs that the song title starts from mid sentence. (Wikipedia)_

**Every Little Thing**

_Written by Paul McCartney (credited Lennon/McCartney) included in the album, Beatles for Sale - 4th album released by the Beatles on December 4th,1964 Written by Paul McCartney about Jane Asher. Jane and Paul were together for 5 years. They were engaged in 1967 but ended their engagement in 1968. Paul stayed in the Asher home from 1964-1966 and wrote many of the Beatle's songs there. (Wikipedia)_


	36. Chapter 36 Three of Wands

**A/N**

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer.**

I only own the plot of this story.

Information and references to the animals in the chapter from the Moonridge Animal Park is the property of Moonridge Animal Park.

"It's a beautiful day" from the album Made in Heaven by Queen.

"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is the property of Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment and their respective owners.

Links to places and some items mentioned in this chapter are on my profile under Chapter 36.

Thank you Jasperbaby and LeAnn388 for the review! I can't respond to your review so here is my appreciation for it.

**Chapter 36 Three of Wands**

**Characters: Edward, Bella, Kitty, Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice**

**Edward POV**

"Daddy, I'm hungry," Kitty said while she climbed onto our bed. Bella was still fast asleep from the hours I spent on worshiping her last night.

We were leaving this morning to spend Valentine's Day weekend at Big Bear Lake. Bella and I agreed that it would be a good thing to get away from the city even for a few days. We wanted to take Kitty away from the city life and show her the wonders of nature.

"Would you like to help me make breakfast? Let's make something special for your Mommy." I said to Kitty.

"Okay," Kitty said and smiled happily. I took her hand and led her to the kitchen.

I cracked the eggs and asked Kitty to stir the eggs for me. I cut up some yellow, red, and orange paprika, mushrooms, and onions. After Kitty finished stirring the eggs for me, I asked her to grate the cheese.

"Be very careful, Kitty," I said and my eyes were glued onto her grating the cheese. I first thought it was a simple task but later got very worried that she might grate her fingers accidentally. Thankfully the cheese was large enough that her fingers never touched the grater.

I heated the waffle iron and had Kitty pour the batter into it. She looked really happy cooking for her Mommy. The smile she had on her face looked very much like Bella's when she was in the kitchen cooking for us.

After the waffle was done Kitty spread butter and maple syrup over them. I carried the tray with decaffeinated coffee for Bella, regular coffee for me, milk for Kitty, and the omelets. Kitty carried the tray with the waffles and we walked back into the bedroom together.

"Wake Mommy up gently, okay?" I said to Kitty.

"Okay." Kitty said and she gently brushed Bella's hair off her face and tapped Bella's shoulders softly. "Mommy, Mommy, breakfast. Mommy, Mommy, breakfast," she whispered to Bella.

"Kitty, I think that's too gentle," I said and laughed.

"Wake up, Mommy, Wake up! I'm hungry!" Kitty said and bounced on the bed.

"Kitty, go wake your Daddy up," Bella mumbled.

"We made breakfast for you," Kitty giggled.

"I'm sorry love, but you need get up," I said and squatted near the side of the bed.

Bella was sleeping on her side and was facing me. She opened one of her eyes and pouted.

"Do we have to leave so early?"

"Well, it's only a two hour drive, but if we want to get there and settle in before noon, we need to leave here by 9 a.m.," I said and kissed her forehead.

Bella sighed and I helped her sit up. "Oh, you guys made me breakfast?" Bella said and smiled. Kitty sat on the bed between Bella and me. We fed each other and I felt really blessed. I was now engaged to Bella and felt like I had a family I could call my own. Six months ago I wouldn't have believed if someone told me I would have a family of my own or be in a lasting relationship. I let Bella take a shower while I cleaned up and got Kitty dressed. Once Bella was out of the shower I jumped in the shower myself. I would have enjoyed showering with Bella, but Kitty was already up, so Bella wouldn't go for that idea.

Once we loaded all the things we needed into the car, I called Emmett to let him know that we were on our way. We were meeting them at our cabin. Rosalie and Emmett left early in the morning so that they could arrive at the cabin early and get the keys for us. I invited them to stay at our cabin, but it was Valentine's Day weekend, so they opted to rent a small cabin for themselves, so that we could all enjoy some privacy. I purposely rented a large cabin so that it would fit our whole family but Alice and Jasper decided to go to San Francisco instead, and Mom caught a cold and didn't want Bella to catch it from her, so Dad and Mom decided to stay in the city. So now we had a huge cabin all for ourselves which I had no complaints.

Bella insisted on wearing my Moncler ski jacket instead of purchasing one that fit her figure. She said it would be a waste to buy a jacket that fit her now when it would be too large on her once the baby was born. Since Bella wouldn't let me get her a new ski jacket, I got Kitty a baby pink down ski jacket with white faux fur trimmed hood, matching ski pants, matching fleece shirt, matching gloves, and a baby pink fleece hat that looked like a puppy. We weren't going skiing, but the highs were in the low 40s and lows were in the 20s so I wanted to make sure that Bella and Kitty were warm enough when we went outside.

The drive to Big Bear Lake was trouble free and simple. I liked this about California. We had the city, beaches, deserts, lakes, and the mountains just a quick drive away.

"Look, there's a swing!" Kitty shouted and pointed at the swing on the deck when we parked our car in the driveway of the cabin. "Oh, there's Auntie Rosie and Uncle Emmy."

I laughed when I saw Emmett and Rose soaking in the hot tub on the deck of our cabin. Thankfully they had their swimsuits on.

"Hey Bro, hurry and come jump in here! It's awesome!" Emmett yelled from the hot tub.

"I want to go in the bubbly pool too!" Kitty said and shook my arm.

"In a minute, okay baby?" I said and smiled at Kitty. "Bella, I'll unload the stuff, why don't you two go in and get changed into your swimsuits so you both can join Rose and Em?"

"Oh, okay. I don't feel like going in the hot tub right now but I'll get Kitty changed so she can join them. Thanks, Edward." Bella said and took one of the bags and walked into the cabin with Kitty.

"Hey Em, could use some help here," I yelled out to my brother.

"Bro, I'll freeze my ass off if I go out in my swim trunks. Just keep the food in the cooler. I'll help you unload after we all enjoy a little soak here."

I growled at him and just grabbed all the bags except for the food and carried it into the cabin. The cabin had a reverse floor plan, and the master bedroom, the queen bedroom, and the room with the bunk beds was on the 1st floor. This was one of the reasons I chose this cabin. I liked this floor plan since I wouldn't have to worry about Bella and Kitty falling down the stairs if we had to vacate the cabin in case of an emergency in the middle of the night.

As I walked towards the master bedroom, Kitty flew out and almost ran into me. "Whoah! Slow down, Kitty. You don't want to get hurt. The hot tub isn't going to run away," I said and laughed. Kitty laughed and ran out the door with her bath toys.

"Edward, this cabin is so lovely. I'm really glad we came here instead of spending Valentine's Day at some restaurant in the city," Bella said and kissed me.

"I'm glad to hear that. I've never been here before. It was Emmett's suggestion. He was up here with the teachers from the high school. He really liked it since it was close and there are lots of activities you can do here.

"Let's take a tour around the house," Bella said and grabbed my hand.

On the 2nd floor was a living room that had a large window with the view overlooking the Big Bear Lake, the Holloway Marina, and the San Bernardino National Forest. The living room had a large flat screen TV, large wood burning fireplace, and a pool table. There was also a dining area and large open kitchen. This floor also had a wraparound deck like the one on the first floor.

"It even has a deep soak jetted tub in our bathroom," Bella whispered into my ear.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" I whispered back into Bella's ear.

"Possibly. It is Valentine's Day weekend you know," Bella said and winked.

The third floor was a loft with a bed that overlooked the second floor living room and also had a spectacular view through the window and also balcony.

While we went down the stairs Rose yelled to us that she was going to use the bathroom to get dressed and that the barbecue grill was good to go now.

Bella and I decided to grab the things we needed to make lunch from the car such as the hotdog sausages, hamburger patties, and the ribs to start grilling and have Emmett carry in the rest of the food and the drinks once he was out of the hot tub. While I started to transport the meats to the deck, Bella was in the kitchen dishing the potato salad from the Tupperware into a bowl and Rosalie was cutting the buns.

I heard Emmett's voice and Kitty's laughter as they came onto the second floor deck still in their bathing suits.

"Emmett! Go to the bathroom and dry Kitty off! She's going to catch a cold, you idiot!" I heard Rosalie yell at Emmett.

"Uh oh. You're in trouble," I heard Kitty say to Emmett.

"Bella, where are her clothes?" I heard Emmett ask Bella.

"They're in the room with the bunk beds on the first floor. Do you need help?"

"Nah, I'll manage," Emmett said and carried Kitty on his shoulders laughing.

Kitty and Emmett ran around the deck while we brought the food out. She was so excited there was just no stopping. It was much colder than the city but thanks to Rose she brought some chili it warmed us up. Bella made some hot chocolate for Kitty to drink so even though she couldn't eat the spicy chili there was something warm for her too.

After lunch Bella and Rosalie decided to check out the village to find a place we can eat dinner, and Emmett, Kitty and I decided to go to the Moonridge Animal Park. Emmett and Kitty wanted to see the Grizzly bears and the Timberwolves, and I was interested in seeing the mountain lions.

I liked the idea of Kitty learning about animals and the rescue efforts by the Animal Park. Moonridge Animal Park is distinguished as the only zoological facility in the U.S. in an alpine/sub-alpine environment dedicated to preservation of the alpine/sub-alpine species.

The Park was just across the street from the Bear Mountain Ski Resort. Kitty and Emmett wanted to go directly to see the bears first so we headed out there.

"Three bears," Kitty pointed and laughed. Is that momma bear, papa bear and baby bear?"

"Oooh, if I throw you in there you could be Goldilocks," I gasped at Emmett and sent daggers with my eyes at him. Even as a joke the thought of Kitty with the bears scared the hell out of me.

"Kitty, that's Tutu, she's the momma bear, that's Harley, the male cub, and Ayla, the female cub. There's no papa bear. Grizzlies do not live as a family when the cubs get older but these bears are different because they live like a family and they also do not sleep through the winter so these bears are very special," I tried to explain to Kitty after reading the information.

"Wow." Emmett and Kitty both said in unison. I chuckled when I realized that it seemed like I had two kids with me to teach.

After we saw the grizzly bears, we went to see the black bears. "Look, that bear is named Hucklebeary," Emmett said and laughed.

"That bear is Zuni and he's 10 years old, that bear is Hucklebeary and he's 9 years old, and that's Pakuma but her nickname is Hollybeary and she's 6 years old. Pakuma is very special. She came as a baby and the San Maule Band of Missions Indians came and performed a very special naming ceremony. Pakuma means one who prays. She's a very special bear to the tribe."

"Why does that bear only have three legs?" Kitty asked and pointed at Hucklebeary.

"When he was rescued his leg was badly broken and they had to cut his leg so that he wouldn't die but he's very healthy and happy now," I explained to Kitty.

"Oh, poor Hucklebeary," Kitty said in tears.

"He's okay now. The caretaker loves him very much and he's very happy here," I said and kissed Kitty's tears away.

"Those two mountain lions are Cascade, and Canyon. They came here seven years ago as kittens because they didn't have a mommy and couldn't take care of themselves."

"They have no mommy?"

"They do now. The people who take care of them love them very much. They are like their mommies now. Just like I'm your Daddy now," I explained to Kitty.

"Oh. That's good," Kitty said and smiled but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

I started to feel a little worried. Since these animals were rescued most of them had very sad stories behind them and wondered if it was all right to be teaching Kitty these things.

Then we went to see the deer, Bambi and Booper. "Oh, her name is Bambi?" Kitty said and laughed.

Then we went to see the Timber wolves. "Those are Wakiza, Nova, and Navarre. Wakiza and Nova was born where they raised wolves for movies and T.V., but there were too many so they came here when they were two weeks old. These wolves do not know the wild life so they have to live here but they still live as packs."

"Packs?" Kitty asked.

"They live together as a group and have a leader just like the wolves in the forests."

"Neat. They've been imprinted but still live as packs. Wow," Emmett said deep in thought. It was fun watching my two kids absorb the information I was telling them.

When we went to see the skunks Kitty scowled when I told her that they were named Flower and Thumper.

"But Thumper is a rabbit." Kitty scowled.

"Eesh. These people must be really into Bambi or somethin'," Emmett laughed.

After we saw all the animals we went to the gift shop. I bought Bella a mountain lion stuffed animal and Kitty wanted the wolf. Emmett chose a grizzly bear for Rosalie. Kitty also wanted the postcards so we chose postcards of the animals that were here at the park and I also got a picture book for her we could look at during her bedtime.

Kitty was exhausted from walking in the park so I carried her back to the car. I sat beside her in the backseat and had Emmett drive us back to the cabin.

"How are my lovely ladies doing?"Emmett asked Rose and Bella as we entered the living room.

"We had a great time. There were cute little shops in the village and we got some fruit smoothies and we found the perfect place to have dinner," Rose answered Emmett excitedly.

"What kind of restaurant is it?"

"It's an Italian bistro in a bowling alley barn," Bella said and chuckled. "They even have a kids menu with foods like mac 'n cheese and pepperoni pizza so I'm sure Kitty will enjoy the place."

"We can even go bowling afterwards," Rosalie added.

"Sounds perfect," I said to the girls.

"Well Rose and I'll go get cleaned up first and we'll meet you at the restaurant in half an hour then?"

"Well, how about I pick you and Rose up at your cabin and we just take my car to the restaurant. That way you and Rose can enjoy some nice wine with dinner," I suggested to Em.

"Really? Thanks, Bro," Emmet said and they waved at us and left our cabin.

"We have something for you, Mommy," Kitty said and handed Bella the mountain lion stuffed animal.

"Oh, this is cute. Your favorite animal was mountain lion, wasn't it? Edward?"

"I'm surprised you remembered," I said and kissed Bella.

"Thanks for the stuffed animal, Edward. You should go and grab a shower, I'll go bathe Kitty in the bathroom next door to ours," she said and we walked down to the first floor to the bedrooms.

I was out of the shower much sooner than Bella and Kitty so I went upstairs and made some hot chocolate for all of us. I was a little hungry and couldn't wait until dinner so I raided the fridge for leftovers. There were some hotdogs sausages and Rose's chili left so I cut up the sausages and added it to the chili and heated the bowl in the microwave.

I handed the hot chocolate to Bella and Kitty when they came back upstairs. After we watched some T.V. it was time to head out to pick up Rose and Emmett.

I chuckled when we arrived at the bowling barn. It was a red structure shaped like a barn with white lettering that said "bowling barn," and Sweet Basil bistro was a little hole on the first floor. The restaurant was casual and very family friendly.

As soon as we sat down and were given the menus, Emmett immediately ordered Deep fried cheese ravioli with spicy tomato basil sauce, caprese pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, and homemade garlic fritters with tomato basil dipping sauce for starters before we all even got to really look at the menu.

"Geez, Em. Were you that hungry?" Bella said and laughed.

"I was hungry but we didn't have any food at our cabin."

"Sorry, Em. I finished Rose's chili right before I came here," I said and teased Emmett. Emmett sent daggers with his eyes at me.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Emmett. I should have remembered to have you guys take some food along."

"Don't worry about it, Bella. We'll just pick something up later tonight. I saw Vons and Stater Bros. market near the lake, and there was also the Grizzly Mountain Gourmet Marketplace in the village," Rose said to Bella.

"We have plenty of food to share with us, you guys don't need to waste any money," Bella said worriedly.

"It's okay, Bells. I like going to the deli in the markets," Emmett said and smiled at Bella.

"If you say so. Just don't hesitate to ask if you guys don't find what you need at the market, okay?"

"Thanks, Bella. You worry too much though. Just relax. Em and I won't starve. It's crazy having this conversation while we're sitting in a restaurant," Rose said and laughed.

"Would you like to order something from the children's menu? There's mac 'n cheese, pepperoni pizza, spaghetti with tomato sauce and chicken strips, or would you rather have a little of what we're getting?" I asked Kitty.

Kitty scrunched her nose and looked like she was thinking really hard. Then she smiled and said, "little of everything."

"That's my girl!" Emmett said and laughed.

"She's _mine_. Not yours." I said and huffed.

"She's mine too!" Emmett snickered.

"Stop acting like kids," Rose said and slapped Emmett behind his head and glared at me. Bella and Kitty laughed when I stuck my tongue out at Rose.

We decided on getting all the 5 different sauces with pasta that was on the menu, Italian meatloaf, and the macaroni and cheese with cheddar, parmesan, and mozzarella.

"Oooh, look we can add things to the pasta," Emmett said and pointed to the menu.

"Is there anything specific you want to add?" I asked Bella.

"Hmmm. So we get to choose the type of pasta, the sauce, and meats to add right? I think I want the grilled chicken breast added to the gorgonzola cream sauce with roasted tomatoes and the ricotta cheese ravioli for the pasta."

"Mmmm. That sounds really good," Emmett said to Bella. "I think I want the orecchiette pasta with meatballs added to the Bolognese sauce with Italian sausages."

"Oh gosh, that sounds too good," Bella joined Emmett in the little foodie conversation.

I heard Rosalie giggle. "Let's just have these two and a half persons decide on the food, shall we?" Rose said to me and I nodded.

"Oh I think if we add the grilled shrimp to the creamy basil pesto with pine nuts and fresh tomatoes it will be perfect with Ricotta and arugula stuffed shells," Bella commented to Emmett.

"Yeah. That sounds like a good combo. How about the alfredo sauce? Wouldn't it be too boring if we added chicken and selected the linguine?"

"Hmmm. Then how about we add the grilled shrimp and choose the ricotta cheese ravioli with it?"

"Oooh, I like that idea," Emmett said and hummed.

"Will you guys like hurry up and choose?" Rose said and tapped the table with her fingernails.

"Just a second, Rosie. We just have one more sauce to select," Emmett answered Rose. "The last one is so plain. House made tomato basil sauce. How about we add the Italian sausages and select the linguine with it?

"Sounds great!" Bella said and smiled happily. Emmett immediately signaled for our orders to be taken. I was impressed that he remembered every little detail they decided on.

Kitty was getting bored so I took out the visitor's guidebook for Big Bear Lake I purchased for this trip, so we can look at it together while we waited for the food. The food came and I thought we'd have leftovers to take back but Emmett cleared all the plates. We were just too full for desserts so we ordered a few pieces of Tiramisu to take out.

Kitty fell asleep in the car before we dropped Emmett and Rosalie at their cabin. I carried Kitty into the bunk bedroom and tucked her in on the bottom bunk. I kissed her goodnight but she was out cold. She must have been really exhausted from the full day we had. She hadn't napped all day so it must have taken a toll on her.

After Bella and I lounged in front of the fireplace, we decided to go into the hot tub outside. Since it was dark outside and no nearby neighbors, we got naked and just slipped a terry robe on ourselves and went out to the deck.

"Mmmm. It's so beautiful out tonight. I can see so many stars."

"The only beauty I see is the woman in front of me. The stars do not hold a candle to her," I said and kissed Bella.

Bella giggled. "Edward, that was a little cheesy."

"But it's the truth and I stand by it."

I kissed her and wrapped my legs around her and gently rubbed her nipples as she leaned into me in the hot tub. I kissed her neck and sucked on her shoulder. I slid my hand between her legs and right as I was about to get to my prize, we were blinded by headlights of a car coming into our driveway.

"What the hell?"

"Oh my gosh, I only know one person who owns a yellow Porsche," Bella said and gasped.

"Alice…" I said and sighed.

The annoying pixie jumped out of the car and waived at us. "Hi Bella, Hi Edward. Ooooh hot tub. You guys naked in there?" Alice said and approached us rolling a huge suitcase behind her.

"Stay right there, and turn around," I said to Alice.

"Oh don't be silly. I've seen Bella naked and you as well when we were kids. What's the big deal?" Alice said and laughed.

"Just give us a moment, Alice," I said to Alice clearly annoyed at her showing up.

"All right, all right," Alice said and covered her eyes.

I helped Bella out of the hot tub and we dressed into our terry robes. "You can open your eyes now," I said to Alice coldly.

"Don't be such a party pooper," Alice feigned a pout as she welcomed herself into our cabin.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you and Jazz supposed to be in San Francisco?"

"Well, we stopped by Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa on our way to San Francisco to see the beautiful architecture and after that Jazzy got sick. He wasn't doing too well in the morning, but he said he was all right and didn't want to cancel the trip, so we went ahead, but he started to puke so we turned around and Dad said he had the flu so it wouldn't be good for me to be near him. Since Mom was already sick, Dad suggested that he took care of both Mom and Jazzy. I had nowhere else to go since you guys and Emmett and Rose were up here so I decided to join you guys," Alice said and hugged me. Thankfully I was no longer hard after seeing Alice ruin our moment in the hot tub.

"You had keys to my place. You could've stayed there instead of driving all the way up here. Better yet, you could've gone to Emmett and Rose's cabin," I said and scowled at Alice.

"I did go to Rose and Em's cabin first since you guys just got engaged and thought you'd guys want some sexy time together but they wouldn't even open the door. Em told me to come here since there are plenty of rooms here. I did go there first. Please give me some credit," Alice huffed.

"You could've turned the car around and gone back to the city." I muttered to myself.

"Edward!" Bella glared at me. Oops I thought no one heard me. "You're always welcome, Alice," Bella said and hugged Alice.

"Awww. You're my best friend. I love you," Alice said and kissed Bella's cheek. "I expected more compassion from blood," Alice said and glared at me.

I sighed. "You can take the loft. There's a bed there," I mumbled to Alice.

"But… but the loft doesn't have walls do they?"

"Stop being picky. It has a nice bed and a great view from the window. You'll like it."

Alice pouted but nodded in acknowledgement. "You can carry my suitcase," Alice said as she started walking up the stairs.

I sighed and put my head on Bella's shoulder. Bella rubbed my back and gave me a kiss. "It'll be fine. We'll all have fun. More the merrier?" Bella said and chuckled. "She probably hasn't eaten yet. I'll go heat up some leftovers. Please take her suitcase up to the loft," Bella said and gave me another kiss before she went to the kitchen.

I got a call from Emmett as I was about to carry the suitcase to the loft.

"Bro, turn all the lights out and hide. Alice is here!"

"Em, what took you so long to call me?"

"Uh oh. Sorry. I take it that she's already there? I gave her some messed up directions so she wouldn't get there yet. Crap! Rosie and I were a bit occupied so I couldn't get to the phone until now. I really meant to give you a fair warning."

"It's all right. I owe Alice a lot anyway," I said to Emmett.

"Yes you do!" I heard from the loft. The evil pixie had some serious good hearing.

"Here you go," I said and dumped her suitcase by her bed.

"Come sit, and tell me what you guys did today," Alice said and patted the bed.

"Why don't we both go down to the dining area. Bella's heating up some food for you."

"Oh really? She's so sweet. I haven't eaten since Jazzy and I ate lunch in San Luis Obispo," Alice said and clapped her hands.

"Here's some potato salad and a grilled cheese sandwich. I'm just heating up the tomato soup. I'm sorry it's the canned kind though," Bella said when she brought the food out to Alice.

"Thanks Bella. I love you. Canned soup is perfect," Alice said and gave Bella thumbs up. At least Alice looked genuinely thankful. I sensed that she was relieved to be here and she must've felt quite lonely and scared on the drive up here. The drive up here was quite dark and eerie. "Soooo, what are we doing tomorrow?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Well we have a mobile massage coming here for a couples massage in the morning for us and Rose and Emmett. I guess I can call first thing in the morning and tell them we have an additional person," I said to Alice.

"Oh, that's so sweet. Thank you. I'm really sore from all the driving I did today. I drove back from San Luis Obispo since Jazzy was too sick to drive and I drove up here so my feet and lower back are really sore. Deep tissue massage would be heavenly."

I saw Bella yawn. "I think Bella and I'm going to turn in for the night. Feel free to use the bathroom in the bedroom beside Kitty's," I said to Alice.

"What? There's another bedroom? Oh wait, I guess I wouldn't want to be sleeping in the bedroom next to you guys. Wouldn't want to disturb all the monkey sex you guys are gonna have," Alice said and giggled. Bella blushed and looked uncomfortable.

"Feel free to hang out in the living room if you aren't sleepy yet," I said. Bella and I said our goodnights to Alice and went downstairs to our bedroom.

"I kinda feel cold. Do you want to join me and soak in the deep soak tub? No funny business though. I'm tired," Bella said and yawned.

"Awww, no monkey sex tonight?" I said and feigned a pout.

"Maybe tomorrow morning, if you're a good boy," Bella said and winked.

"What a great way to start the day," I said and kissed Bella. I went to run a bath while Bella got our pajamas out. The bath felt really great. Just kissing and holding Bella in the tub was really relaxing and soothing. I felt my eyelids grow heavier. Once we got in the bed Bella fell asleep instantly. I was out not long after her.

**Alice POV**

I woke up feeling refreshed and decided to make breakfast for everyone. Since Jazzy always cooked for me, I had to call Mom to run me through the steps to make the breakfast. I told Mom all that was in the fridge. Bella had brought biscuits and gravy in Tupperware. There was a pancake mix, frozen hash browns, bacon, sausages, and eggs. I made a pot of coffee, and grilled the bacon and sausages. I did what Mom told me to do and scrambled the eggs without burning them. I warmed up the biscuits and placed the bacon, sausages, and the eggs in the oven to keep it warm. I read the back of the box of the pancake mix and after burning the first two, I successfully made enough pancakes for everyone. I heated the hash browns and the gravy in the microwave and went to wake them up.

"Edward? Bella? Wake up! It's a beautiful day!" I said to them outside the door, I could hear them faintly but they wouldn't answer me. So I decided to do what got Jazzy up every morning. I inhaled as much air as I could and sang from the top of my lungs sounding as close to Freddie Mercury as possible!

It's a beautiful day  
The sun is shining  
I feel good  
And no-one's gonna stop me now, oh yeah

It's a beautiful day  
I feel good, I feel right  
And no-one, no-one's gonna stop me now

Sometimes I feel so sad,

so sad, so bad  
But no-one's gonna stop me now, no-one  
It's hopeless - so hopeless to even try

Edward busted out of the bedroom looking RED. Oops. He closed his eyes and pinched his nose. He looked furious. He took a deep breath and opened one of his eyes, and glared at me one-eyed. Never realized one eye can look so threatening. "Cock blocker," Edward said and slammed the door on me.

"Sorry, I'll shut up. Breakfast is ready," I said and ran upstairs to the dining area.

Five minutes later Bella and Kitty came down smiling with a glum faced Edward behind them. "Thank you, Alice. It was so sweet of you to make us all breakfast. I would've helped," Bella said and smiled.

"Evil pixie…" Edward mumbled.

"Daddy? Why are you so grouchy? You look like Grinch from the movie." Kitty said to Edward. The air was thick and tense. I had to quickly come up with something to lighten the mood but I just couldn't think of anything.

"We're gonna die! We're gonna die! I'm going to throw up and then I'm gonna die. Mommy, tell it to stop!" My jaw dropped after seeing Edward impersonate Jim Carrey from the Grinch. He was so hilarious. Bella, Kitty and I laughed so hard. I had tears running down my cheeks.

"I had no idea, brother, that you were a closet Grinch fan," I said to him. I was still crying from his impersonation of Jim Carrey from "How the Grinch stole Christmas."

"You can thank Emmett for that. He kept watching that movie every Christmas for years," he said and blushed. It had to take everything in him to do what he just did. I had no idea Edward had it in him. He was always the cool and collected one. Emmett was the joker in the family, not Edward. Edward had really changed since he met Bella and Kitty, and for the better. He became loving, romantic, caring, and now in addition to that he was funny.

"Daddy, you're funny," Kitty said and giggled.

"You're my Cindy Lou Who," Edward said and tickled Kitty.

We all laughed and joked around while we finished our breakfast. I helped clean the dishes while Edward went outside with Kitty to play on the swing on the deck.

"Thanks for welcoming me last night. I felt horrible after I realized I intruded on your family vacation."

"Alice, I told you last night that you're always welcome with us. We invited you and Jasper, but you guys decided to go to San Francisco. We wanted you two to come. You just came at a bad timing last night. If only you were maybe half an hour later or even ten minutes earlier, Edward would have been fine. We were sort of…" Bella blushed and searched for words. I instantly realized that I walked in on their intimate moment last night too.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I thought you guys were just soaking in the tub naked," I said and slapped my forehead.

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. You probably saved me from getting overheated like I did last time I was in the jetted tub with Edward," Bella said and smiled. "I'm sorry Jasper got sick and your Valentine's Day weekend got ruined."

"I'm fine with it. I'm sure Jasper will come up with something extra special to make up for it. I'm having a great time with you guys. Jasper is the one miserable in bed."

"I hope he feels better soon,"

"I hope so too. Otherwise I'll have to crash at Rose and Emmett's place until he gets better."

"Just know you're welcome to stay with us if he's still sick when we get back," Bella said and gave me a hug.

Soon after Rose and Emmett came to the cabin, the masseuses arrived. Rose and Emmet got the massage first, followed by Edward and Bella, and then I got my massage. We took turns to watch Kitty instead of letting her play on her own because both Edward and Bella were quite afraid that Kitty might go off on her own and fall into the lake or the hot tub.

I helped Rose make bite size sandwiches while Edward and Bella got their massage. Emmett was in the hot tub with Kitty. They had a floating ring toss toy in the hot tub.

After we all had a little bite to eat, we drove to the Magic Mountain Recreation area of the Big Bear Lake, to try the Alpine slide, go-carts and miniature golf.

Rose was most excited to try the Alpine slide. We were first lifted to the top on a scenic chairlift ride and from there we got on the bob sleigh. Kitty was too young to go alone and had to be accompanied by an adult. After seeing Rose go down the fastest, Kitty escaped from Edward's hand and got onto the sleigh with Rose. Bella stayed down and didn't go on the sleigh in fear of an accident. "Slow down, slow down," Edward yelled to Rose while Emmett just laughed standing beside him. I could also faintly hear Bella screaming to slow down as well from the bottom of the hill. After being scared out of his wits, Edward had a death grip on Kitty and she was only able to go on the sleigh with Edward from the next round.

After the Alpine slide we went to the go-carts. I stayed with Bella and didn't go on the ride to keep her company. She said it was fun just watching and didn't mind being alone, but I stayed with her anyway. Kitty tried to escape from Edward again, but Edward glared at her, and she had to endure getting on the go-cart with Edward. As soon as she got on the go-cart with Edward, Kitty realized that Edward loved cars and was as much of a thrill seeker as Rose when it came to cars.

"Be careful, be careful, Edward! Edward!" Bella yelled at Edward this time. "This place is really bad for my heart and the baby," Bella said and rubbed her stomach. After Edward, Kitty, Rose, and Emmett had enough of the go-cart, we went to play miniature golf.

We divided into two teams, Emmett, Kitty and I on one team, and Edward, Rosalie, and Bella on the other. I was horrible at putting and Emmett was angry that I sucked more than Kitty. Even Bella was better than me even with her stomach sticking out so far out.

Every time Emmett putted, Rosalie coughed the word, "loser," and irritated the hell out of Emmett. "Alice, you'd better do better this time. Rosie is calling me a loser because of you," Emmett said and pouted at me. The more Emmett pressured me, the worse I did. Our team had the worst score at every hole, and we were now responsible to pay for tonight's dinner. I had at least Quadruple bogey per hole, when even Bella's worst was a bogie when she hated miniature golf. It was quite obvious that Bella only joined the miniature golf because it would have been too long of a wait until we finished 18 holes and she also probably didn't want us to rush if she waited somewhere for us to finish.

We all wanted a little snack to eat so we went to the bakery in the village to buy some baked goods. The Sugar Pine bakeshop had some of the prettiest cakes I've ever seen.

"Wow, the cakes are gorgeous," Bella gasped.

"I definitely agree. I think I want to get all the cakes here from now on. Hmmm. I'm thinking I want to order the cake for the baby shower here,"

"Who's baby shower?" Bella cocked her brow and looked at me.

"Yours obviously," I said and grinned.

"I don't need or want a baby shower."

"Please, Bella, Please," I begged her. "Edward, please convince Bella to agree to a baby shower."

"Not now, Alice. We can discuss it later."

I pouted at Edward but the way he sounded he didn't seem so against it so I was pretty sure I could gang up on them with Mom and Rosalie to have a baby shower. We picked up some cupcakes, cookies, and cinnamon rolls and left the bakery. Edward dropped Emmett, Rosalie, and me at Big Bear Mountain brewery and told us that he'd pick us up again in about 2 hours and they headed to Pine Knot Landing for the Miss Liberty Big Bear Lake cruise.

* * *

**A/N**

I hope you liked this chapter. I sort of had to force this chapter out of me. After the dramatic proposal I couldn't really top that chapter, so I went with a little bit of humor in this one. I started writing a lemony chapter continuing on with the night of the proposal but I scrapped it. Maybe I'll write an outtake later on the night of the proposal. Let me know if you guys are interested. So while I tried to squeeze a chapter out of me somehow it ended up being the longest chapter I've written. I still have the remainder of their time at Big Bear Lake coming up in the next chapter. I had to cut this chapter where I left off as it was over 7000 words already. Please leave me a review and let me know if you liked this chapter. I sincerely hope you all liked it. Thank you!


	37. Chapter 37 Six of Swords

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 37 Six of Swords**

**Characters Edward, Bella, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, Kitty, Jasper, and Carlisle**

**Bella POV**

The Big Bear Lake Cruise on Miss Liberty was wonderful until Kitty and I felt a little ill from motion sickness. Edward drove us back to the cabin first and then left to pick Alice, Emmett and Rosalie up from the brewery. Edward came back carrying Alice in his arms with Emmett and Rose dragging their feet behind him from the alcohol in them.

"What's wrong with Alice?"

"Drunk," Edward said and laughed..

"Would you two like some coffee?" I asked Rose and Emmett.

"Thank you, Bella. We'd love some," Rose said and smiled.

"Go make yourselves comfortable in the living room, I'll bring the coffee over."

I went back to the bedroom after I delivered the coffee to Rose and Emmett. Edward joined me after he tucked Alice in bed up in the loft.

"I feel like I suddenly fathered several kids," Edward laughed.

"Awww, it's not so bad. At least none need diapers except this one soon," I said and pointed to my stomach.

"It's different. I want to change Matthew's diapers," Edward said and kissed my stomach.

"You're going to be a great Dad," I said while I ran my fingers through his hair.

"You think?"

"You're so wonderful to Kitty already. Of course you're going to be a great Dad."

"I can't wait till Matthew is born. Can I be in the delivery room?"

"Edward! Of course I want you to be in the delivery room. You can handle it though, right?" I joked and chuckled.

"Bella, you know I'm a doctor, right?" Edward said and tickled me. "Matthew, you're Mom is such a silly girl," Edward whispered to my stomach. "Hurry up little boy, I can't wait to see you and hold you in my arms. You're so precious and I love you. You're the most important person in this whole wide world," Edward rubbed his cheek on my stomach and kissed.

As soon as those words slipped out of his mouth we heard a loud sob and when we looked up we saw Kitty run out of our bedroom crying.

My eyes met Edward's and I saw sheer panic in his eyes. Edward helped me off the bed and we both went running down the stairs after Kitty telling her to stop. I couldn't run very fast and Edward made sure I didn't fall down the stairs. Before we reached the bottom of the stairs we saw Emmett and Rose fly past us and out the door after Kitty.

"Bella, you need to stay here. It's too cold out. We'll find Kitty and bring her back."

"I have to go, Edward. I can't just sit here and wait. I'm her mother."

"And I'm her father. Bella, I'm not asking you. I'm telling you that you need to stay here. She might come back here on her own and you need to be here for her. I also can't risk you falling or catching a cold while searching for Kitty outside."

I wanted to argue with Edward, but he was right. Having Edward explain this to me was only delaying his search for Kitty. I nodded and kissed him. "Please bring her back to me safely."

"I will. Keep warm and go wake Alice up," Edward grabbed his ski jacket and ran out the door.

As soon as Edward was out the door I went to wake Alice up. I told her that Kitty was missing and Alice shot out of bed. "What did you say?"

"I'm not sure what happened but when she saw Edward talking to the baby she started crying and ran out the door. Emmett, Rose and Edward went after her," I explained to Alice.

"I'm going to go and join the search," Alice said and grabbed her jacket.

Before I could stop her and ask her to stay with me here, Alice was out of the loft running down the stairs. She was so fast I couldn't believe that she was asleep drunk just minutes ago. She definitely sobered up quick after hearing that Kitty was missing.

I was alone and scared. The last time I felt this alone and scared was the day that Stephen passed away. I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. I tried to convince myself that Kitty was fine and that Rose, Emmett, or Edward was bringing her back to me safely.

I really wanted to go out to join them to search for her but if she returned to the cabin and didn't find anyone here she would be scared and feel abandoned. I couldn't do that to her.

I wanted to call Edward to ask how the search was going, but stopped myself that it would only delay the search if they hadn't found her yet. I paced around the foyer waiting for a call or someone to run through the door with Kitty.

I had to keep busy or I was going to go crazy from worrying. They were all out in the cold. I decided to warm some soup so they could all have something warm when they returned. I heated up the canned soup and made another pot of coffee. It had been half an hour since they left the cabin, but I hadn't heard back from them yet.

I started to pace around the foyer again when I suddenly heard my name being called from somewhere outside.

"Bella! Bella! Help me!" I head Alice shout my name.

I ran to the door and when I opened the door. I found Alice dripping wet and carrying Kitty in her arms. Kitty was dripping wet as well and there was no color in her face and her lips were blue.

I grabbed Kitty from Alice and saw her pull her phone out while I ran to the bedroom to lay Kitty down. My baby was freezing cold and wasn't moving much except for her chest rising up and down a little very slowly. She was breathing and she had a pulse but it seemed to slow down.

"Edward! I found Kitty in the lake. She's ice cold and her lips are blue! What am I supposed to do?" Alice yelled into the phone with tears running down her cheeks. "Okay… okay… okay… bye," she said and hung up the phone. "Bella, keep an eye out for Kitty's pulse and breathing. Strip Kitty's clothes off and dry her with a towel. Wrap her in some blankets. I'll call 911. Be gentle with Kitty. Do not move her around too much. Edward said we needed to try to avoid getting the cold blood to circulate back to her heart too quickly." Alice said as I went flying to the bathroom to grab some towels and the rest of the items Alice told me to get.

When I got back to the couch Alice had already taken Kitty's wet clothes off and she grabbed the towels from me and started to dry Kitty off. I was just too shocked and couldn't move as fast as Alice. I failed as a mother. I was supposed to protect her. I was supposed to keep her from harm's way.

I felt Alice shake me. "Bella, snap out of it. Call Emmett and Rose to get back here," Alice commanded me. I nodded and went to grab my phone.

Right as I finished calling Rose to tell her that Alice found Kitty, Edward flew through the door and ran towards Kitty. Alice backed away from Kitty and let Edward check her out.

"Alice, stand by the door and look out for the ambulance," Edward instructed to her.

10 minutes later the ambulance arrived and Edward went with Kitty to the hospital while I rode with Emmett, Rose, and Alice after Alice changed into some dry clothes. She was so busy taking care of Kitty that she neglected to take care of herself. Up until now she was still in the soaking ice cold clothes from jumping into the lake to pull Kitty out of the water. Everything was just happening so fast I couldn't even have time to argue with Edward that I wanted to go with him. He just said the ambulance ride would be too rough on me and to trust him to take care of Kitty.

"Bella, trust Edward. She's in good hands. The people at the hospital are used to these accidents. They are properly equipped to handle Kitty." Rose said and rubbed my back.

When we got to the hospital, Rose ran into the hospital to find out what was happening with Kitty while Emmett went to park the jeep. Alice wrapped her arm around my waist and forced me to slow down to get to where Rose stood so that I don't slip on the way there.

I felt dizzy and my legs felt weak. Rose and Alice helped me to the waiting room and settled me onto the couch. Emmett came into the waiting room shortly after. Both Rose and Alice had their arms wrapped around me and kept telling me that everything was going to be okay. I could only imagine the worst. Things never turned out okay for me. I was cursed with death. First were Mom and Phil, then Dad, and then Stephen. One by one all my loved ones were taken from me. Soon Kitty and most likely Matthew right after her. Just thinking about what would most likely happen next my chest felt constricted and I could hardly breathe. In the background I could hear faint voices calling out my name while my world turned black.

**Alice POV **

"Bella!!!!" I screamed and I saw Emmett run out of the waiting room. A minute later he returned with several nurses with him. Emmett pulled me off Bella and a stretcher was brought in and Bella was quickly wheeled out of the waiting room.

"Stay here," I was shaking. I felt dizzy and wanted to throw up. Rose commanded in a very stern voice and ran out of the waiting room. I wondered where she went.

I didn't know what to do. Bella was my best friend. I should've taken better care of Bella. I should have kept Bella and Kitty safe. I should have been the one following her stretcher. Not Emmett. I needed to talk to the one person who always calmed my nerves. I pulled out my phone to call him.

"Jazzy?"

"Hello, darlin'. How's the trip?" When I heard his voice I felt a little calmer but I couldn't stop the tears that rolled down my cheeks. When I sniffled I heard Jasper's panicked voice. "What's wrong, baby? Are you hurt?"

"Kitty…. Found her…. In the lake…Bella… fainted… I'm alone…hospital" I wailed.

"Darlin'? Something happened to Kitty and Bella? Hang on darlin', I'm going to get Carlisle." In the background I heard Jasper explain to my Dad that something happened to Kitty and Bella and that they were both at the hospital.

"Alice? It's your father. Tell me what's going on. You're a strong girl, Alice. Just explain to me slowly."

"I heard water splash in the lake. When I ran to the lake I saw Kitty struggling in the water. *sniffle* *sniffle* *sniffle* I jumped in the water and got her out. *sniffle* sniffle* She was ice cold and blue, Dad. *sniffle* She's being treated right now. Edward is with Kitty. Bella got stressed out and fainted. *sniffle* She got wheeled out of here just minutes ago. Emmett went with her. I should have been the one to go with her. She's my best friend. I feel sick." I wailed and explained to Dad.

"Alice, listen to me. You did really good. I'm proud of you. Take a few cleansing breaths and try to calm down. You know how Emmett is. He's very protective. He probably wanted to make sure of Bella for Edward. Alice, do you feel okay? You jumped into the freezing water. Have a doctor check you out. I also need you to go to the reception desk and get me some names I can contact. Perhaps Chief of Emergency Medicine or Chief of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. I need some names so that I can contact Eleazar. I need him to contact the doctors there so that Edward can be involved with Kitty's case and that I can see Kitty and Bella's charts when I get there. I will try to be there as soon as I can. I'll make sure that Esme takes good care of Jasper. Hang in there, Alice. I'll be there soon."

I felt much calmer after talking to Dad. Ordinarily Jasper was the one to calm me down and make me feel better, but in this case since it involved knowledge in the medical field I needed Dad more than I needed Jasper.

I felt worse than I did since I arrived at the hospital. My whole body ached. My injuries after the accident that healed now hurt again. My head was also banging. I felt cold sweat trickling down my back. Even though I was sitting I had to grab the arm of the couch to keep my body from swaying.

My eyelids felt heavy and I could barely keep them open. I just recalled that Dad told me to have someone check me out. Maybe I was sick. The adrenaline that was pumped through my body was probably now depleting. Before I thought of getting up to find a doctor, Rose came rushing through the door with a nurse.

"Miss, please come with me. Let's have a doctor take a look at you," the nurse said and both Rose and the nurse helped me up from the couch.

**Edward POV**

I was extremely angry that the hospital staff wouldn't let me in while they treated Kitty. I knew Alice had gotten Kitty only minutes after Kitty fell into the water by the observation I made while I checked Kitty out before the ambulance arrived. Kitty was still breathing and even though her pulse was weak I was sure after the doctors treated her she would be okay. If Alice got to Kitty even a few minutes later, she could have had ventricular fibrillation or cardiac arrest. Statistically with the water condition in Big Bear Lake and the time Kitty was submerged in water Kitty's chance of survival would be very good since I didn't think Kitty was submerged in the water long enough to have severe hypothermia but since she was so small and thin anything was possible. Children lost body heat in cold water faster than adults. Kitty wasn't just a statistic. She was my daughter. I couldn't think like a doctor right now. While I paced in front of the entrance to where Kitty was being treated, a middle aged man approached me.

"Dr. Cullen? Dr. Edward Cullen?" The man asked me. I nodded to acknowledge.

"Dr. Cullen, my name is Marcus. I am on the board of governors at this hospital. Your boss, Eleazar, is a friend of mine. I received a call from him that one of his doctor's fiancé's daughter was being treated here and wanted me to make sure you and your father had free access here."

"Eleazar? My father?" I scratched my head. I was in such distraught that I couldn't understand what this Marcus guy was saying to me. He looked at me and understood that I wasn't thinking clearly right now.

"Follow me," he said and pointed to the lounge. After we sat down he started to explain to me. "I got a call from Eleazar explaining to me that your fiancé's daughter was in an accident and was brought here for treatment. He told me that he received a call from your father that you were here and probably needed clearance so that you could be involved in the treatment. As soon as I got here just minutes ago, I was not only informed about your fiancé's daughter being treated, but that your fiancé and your sister was being treated as well."

I interrupted him. "Bella and Alice are being treated? Are they okay?" I started to panic. I had no idea something was wrong with them. Now that I felt a little more collected, I could understand that Alice could be sick. She jumped into the cold water and stayed in her wet clothes. I was too worried about Kitty that I had completely ignored that Alice needed to be taken care of as well.

"Your sister is running a high fever but we think that's the only problem so she should be fine as soon as her temperature is down. Your fiancé felt dizzy and she fainted. It was probably caused from stress and rapid rising of blood pumping through her system. It's nothing to worry about. It's not uncommon during pregnancy. She just needs to take it easy. She was dehydrated and her blood sugar level was low so she's being treated with I.V. fluids right now. The baby is fine. Their hearts are being monitored. I can take you to your sister and your fiancé or you can go and see your fiancé's daughter. Your fiancé's daughter is being treated with an intravenous line with warm fluids to raise her body temperature since she wasn't able to do it on her own. They are also administering warm and humidified air through oxygen mask. The doctors are sure that would be all your fiancé's daughter needs. It was very good that your sister rescued her so quickly. Oh, and Eleazar told me that your father is on his way here as we speak."

"Thank you Marcus. Would you please take me to my fiancé? I'd like to check on her before I check on Alice and Kitty," I said to him. There wasn't much I could do for Kitty as she was in good hands.

"She's in here. Your sister is that room," Marcus said and pointed to the room beside Bella's. "I'm going to go and check on your fiancé's daughter. I'll see you there," Marcus said and left. When I opened the door to the room Bella was resting, the first thing I saw was Emmett sitting beside the bed holding Bella's hand with a worried look on his face.

"Hey, Em. Thanks for taking care of Bella for me," I said to Emmett as I walked towards the bed.

"Don't mention it. I'm just glad Rose caught her before she hit the floor. Rose is with Alice now. I was so caught up with Kitty I had totally forgotten that Alice had also gone into the water."

"Em, you're not the only one. I was so worried about Kitty and Bella that I totally forgot about Alice too. She was so actively moving around and taking care of everything it slipped my mind that she needed to be taken care of too. It was just probably adrenaline that kept her going. She's still weak from the accident. I'm surprised her arms and legs were strong enough to jump into the water and carry Kitty back to the cabin. Jasper is going to be so mad at us that we neglected Alice."

"I think he'll probably beat himself up that he was sick and wasn't here to take care of her before he even thinks of beating us up. Thank God for that." Emmett's words didn't really comfort me. I'm a doctor. I should have been able to recognize who needed medical attention and take hold of the situation. "Sit with Bella. I'm going to go and check on Alice and Rose," Emmett said and got up from the chair.

"Oh, by the way, Dad's on his way."

"What? How did Dad find out?"

"I don't have a clue. He evidently called Eleazar, and Eleazar called his friend, Marcus, who's on the board here. I just met him. He's with Kitty now. I didn't even think to call Dad or Eleazar. Maybe Rose called Dad?"

"I don't know. I guess I'll find out when I talk to her," Emmett said and left the room.

I leaned in and kissed Bella's forehead. She was asleep but looked really tense. Her brows were furrowed. I sat down in the chair and took her hands. I brought them to my lips and kissed them. I gently rubbed my thumb over them and tried to soothe her. She looked so tired and worn out. She looked so frail. Her breathing was steady and thankfully both Bella's and Matthew's heartbeat were strong.

I felt defeated. I could have lost Kitty, Bella, and Alice. I still had no idea what prompted Kitty to cry and run out of the cabin. I was just lying on the bed with Bella and talking to Matthew. Bella and I didn't even notice Kitty was in the room until we heard her. I couldn't wait to talk to Kitty to correct what I did wrong.

I heard a soft knock on the door and when I answered Rose popped her head in. "I can watch Bella for you. Would you like to go and check on Kitty? Alice is fine so you don't have to worry about her right now. She's asleep from the medication she was administered so you can't talk to her right now anyway."

I looked at Bella again. I really didn't want to leave her side, but she would want me to be with Kitty since she couldn't. I thanked Rose and left the room. Instead of going directly back to check on Kitty, I decided to call Dad.

"Hi, Dad."

"Hello, Son. How is Kitty and Bella?"

"Bella and the baby are fine. She's being treated for dehydration and low blood sugar. Kitty is being treated. I just wanted to call and thank you before I checked on her. Marcus, Eleazar's friend, is keeping an eye on her for me. Alice has a high temperature but she already got treated and is currently asleep."

"I'm glad to hear that the situation is handled well. I'm glad that Alice called."

"Alice called? She's the one who called you?"

"Well, not exactly. She called Jasper. Jasper handed the phone over to me after Alice told him that Kitty and Bella was being treated at the hospital. After I got the details from Alice, I called Eleazar for help. I'm glad he had a friend there. I'm only a few miles away from Big Bear. I should be there shortly."

"Thanks for everything, Dad. I'm not functioning. I'm a doctor and I neglected Alice. I only thought of Kitty. As a doctor I should have been able to determine who needed to be taken care of. I'm so sorry I even got you involved."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Edward. You didn't neglect anyone. At that moment, you were Kitty's father, and not a doctor. No one thinks you are responsible for everyone. If Alice thought she wasn't well, she would have asked for your help. Even I thought Alice was fine when she called but just in case there was anything wrong with her, I told her to get herself checked out. They are all going to be fine. Right now you need to be there for Kitty and Bella. Alice has Emmett and Rose. I'll be there soon too. Hang in there, son. You're doing great."

"Thanks Dad. I don't know what I would've done if you didn't step in. Please call me when you arrive at the hospital."

"I will. I'll see you soon, Edward."

I went to the information desk to ask where Kitty was. They told me she was moved to PICU. When I got there, Marcus was leaning in front of the entrance of the PICU. "Thank you for watching her," I said to Marcus as I approached him.

"Oh, I'm glad you're here. She just got moved here about ten minutes ago. She's doing well. Her body temperature is back to normal now. The doctors didn't see any complication, but just wanted her in PICU to make sure."

"Thank you so much. My father should be here very soon. I just talked to him and he was only a few miles away from Big Bear."

"It would be an honor to meet the great Carlisle Cullen. I never got the chance to meet him. I've heard a lot about him through my colleagues and Eleazar. Now that you're here I think I'll go and talk to the Chief of Staff here to notify him about you, and that your father will be joining you shortly. If you need me just ring me or tell one of the staffs at the desk so they could locate me," he said and gave me his business card.

It never ceased to amaze me how highly regarded Dad was in the medical community. To me he was just Dad. I went to check on Kitty and looked at her chart. Everything looked good. They didn't find anything wrong neurologically either although we wouldn't be absolutely sure until she was conscious and talking again. From all the tests they ran there shouldn't be any complications. She still looked pale but she looked much better. Probably better than expected all thanks to Alice for rescuing her when she did.

I sat by the bed and held her little hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. I traced my thumb over her cheek. There were tear marks and some dirt on her face. I got up and found a nurse and told her that wanted to wipe Kitty's face. She told me she would take care of wiping Kitty's face but I insisted on doing it myself. After I finished cleaning Kitty's face, I decided to go and check on Bella again. When I came out of the door I found Rosalie looking for me.

"Oh good. Just the person I wanted to see. How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay, all things considered. Thanks for everything, Rose."

"Hey, we're all family. I did nothing out of the ordinary. Oh, I made some calls and extended your stay at the cabin. Emmett needs to leave tonight though. I can stay. I cancelled all my appointments so I can help you guys."

"I'm so sorry, Rose. I don't want to inconvenience you. You should leave with Emmett. I think Dad and I can handle things."

"Come on, Edward. Like I said. We're family. Family supports each other through crisis. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here. Emmett wanted to stay but he couldn't. He tried though."

"Thanks, Rose. I really appreciate it. Thank you for extending the stay at the cabin. It would have been bad if we had to check out of the cabin tomorrow." My phone rang and when I checked the caller ID, it was Dad.

"Hi, Dad. Where are you?"

"Hello, Edward. I just finished parking. I'm at the hospital now. I'm on my way to the lobby."

"Great. I'll see you at the lobby."

"Carlisle is here already?"

"Yeah. He's on his way to the lobby now. I think he left immediately after he made the call to Eleazar."

"Great. I'll come with you."

We found Dad walking through the entrance when we got to the lobby. Dad wrapped his arms around Rose and me and gave us a hug.

"I'm glad you guys look okay. Who should I go see first? Kitty? Bella? Alice?"

"Emmett is with Bella right now since I'm here. Maybe we should check on Alice first since Edward was just with Kitty?" Rose suggested.

We all agreed and went to see Alice. When we got to the room, Alice was awake with a frown on her face.

"Hello, Sweetheart. Are you feeling better?" Dad asked.

"NO! I hate hospital gowns. I look horrible. When can I be released?" Dad chuckled.

"Looks like you're doing fine since you're already complaining," Dad said and kissed Alice's cheek.

"Dad, please go and talk to someone so that I can change back into my clothes and get released from here."

"All right, all right, Sweetheart. I'll go and talk to the doctors and see what's going on." Dad said and chuckled again.

"Do you want me to go and ask the doctors instead?" I asked Dad.

"I want to find out about Kitty and Bella's status too so I think I'll go and talk to them myself," Dad said and left the room.

"Alice, thanks for everything. You saved the day!" I said and kissed her on her forehead.

"Am I forgiven for ruining your romantic Valentines evening with Bella then?"

"Oh God, Alice. Were you still worried about that? Of course you're forgiven. It wasn't even on my mind anymore. Without you I could have lost Kitty and if you didn't call Jasper, Dad wouldn't have known and he wouldn't have called Eleazar for assistance. You saved the day, Alice. Things would have been a mess if you didn't do all that you did. You're my heroine."

"Ooooh, I like the sound of that," Alice said and smiled. "So, what do I get for saving the day then? How about giving me the right to plan the wedding and the baby shower?"

Alice was definitely better and back to her normal self now. I owed everything to her for what she did for me today so I couldn't say "no" to her.

"All right, Alice. Just don't go overboard."

"Yeah!" She squealed and Rose and I just laughed.

"All right, I'm going to go and check on Bella," I said and left the room.

**Carlisle POV**

When it rains, it pours. Esme was under the weather, Jasper suffered from the flu, Bella was dehydrated and had low blood sugar level, Kitty had a mild case of hypothermia, and Alice had a high fever which after speaking to the doctors I found out that it was actually from the flu she probably caught from Jasper and unrelated to today's incident.

I was proud of my children. They all had grown up to be wonderful adults. They were kind, loving, responsible, and caring. They also supported one another and loved each other. I thought of Rose, Jasper, and Bella as my own too. Today's incident made me see how much they all cared for each other and how strong their support system was. They had each other to lean on.

I was proud of Edward. He no longer just acted the role of father. He was the father. He clearly thought of Kitty as his own and reacted like how a father would in time of crisis when your own child was in danger.

I was proud of Alice for risking herself for Kitty. In crisis she was the strongest. I was also extremely proud of Rosalie. She wasn't the one who rescued Kitty but she was the one who made sure everyone was all right. She kept her eye on Bella, Edward, Kitty, Emmett, and Alice. She was the mother bear. She was probably the one closest to Esme when it came to taking care of the family. She was the one who took care of details that were overlooked and ones that never got praised for because they were less obvious. She never asked to be praised or thanked.

I quickly made my way to check on Kitty. I sat down in the chair beside her bed. The color was back in her cheeks. I smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead. When I took her hand her eyelashes fluttered. I realized that Kitty was now regaining consciousness. She slowly opened her eyes and squinted. I took my hand and made a shade over her eyes so that the lights do not hurt her.

"Kitty, it's Grandpa. Open your eyes slowly."

"Grandpa?" She asked opening her eyes and looked like she was trying to focus.

"You're safe now. You're in the hospital. Your Mommy, Daddy, Auntie Alice, Auntie Rosalie, and Uncle Emmett are all here. Don't be scared."

Kitty turned her head towards me and smiled at me. "Would you like me to go and get your Daddy?" I saw a frown on her face when I asked. Kitty shook her head.

"Daddy doesn't love me. He loves the baby."

"Kitty? Is that why you ran away? You thought your Daddy doesn't love you anymore?" I asked and Kitty nodded. "Oh baby, your Daddy loves you so much. He looked really sad that you got hurt. Kitty your Daddy loves you and the baby both very much."

I could see a pout form on Kitty's mouth. She shook her head. "Daddy loves the baby," she said with tears in her eyes. "I want my Mommy," Kitty said and cried.

"I'm sorry Kitty, I know you want your Mommy but she's not feeling well. She's sleeping in the hospital bed. I can get your Daddy instead."

Kitty shook her head. "I want my Mommy, I want my Mommy," she said and sobbed.

I called for a nurse to stay with Kitty in fear that she might have a panic attack. I wasn't sure if Bella was awake or even if she was even in a condition to get out of bed. I went to Bella's room to find Edward. When I got there I saw both Edward and Emmett by Bella's bed. Bella was awake but she looked really pale and weak.

"Hello, Bella. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better. Thank you for coming here. I'm sorry you had to leave Esme's side."

"Don't mention it. You're my daughter and there is nowhere I want to be but here beside you, Kitty, and Alice. Esme has Jasper right now so all is well but I need to steal Edward for a moment," I said to Bella and caught Edward's eyes and signaled him to step out of the room.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Edward whispered as soon as we were out the door.

"Kitty's awake and asking for Bella. I know why she ran away. Kitty thinks you don't love her anymore. She thinks you only love the baby now."

"Oh my God. Is that what she thinks? I was talking to the baby but I never meant to say I only love him. Dad, what am I supposed to do?"

"Well it seems like Bella is in no condition to get out of bed. Go and talk to Kitty. Tell her you love her. She's a smart girl. She'll understand," Dad said and patted my back.

**Edward POV**

I rushed to PICU to see Kitty. I was so happy to hear from Dad that she was finally awake but the news about her thinking that I didn't love her was heartbreaking. When I entered the room her eyes twinkled but as soon as she recognized that it was me and not Bella, she turned her head the other direction so that I couldn't see her face.

"Princess, I'm sorry I hurt you. I really love you. I love you, your Mommy, and the baby very much. Please look at me, Princess." I felt awful. I was the reason Kitty was in PICU. My careless words hurt her. I felt tears rolling off my cheeks. I failed as a father. She neither felt loved or protected. "I love you baby, please forgive me. I need you. Can I still be your Daddy?"

Kitty turned her head towards me but had a frown on her face. She looked sad and heartbroken. She chewed on her lips and stared at me. She had tears in her eyes and they spilled over. I brought my hand to her cheek and wiped the tears away. I took her hand and kissed it.

"Don't cry," she said softly and squeezed my hand.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you, Princess. I really love you so much. I wish I was the one who was sick and not you. I'm sorry you are in the hospital because of me. Kitty, I love you. You are very precious to me."

Kitty stared at me but I saw a twinkle in her eyes. It wasn't the usual twinkle. "Can I have new dresses for baby?" She asked raising her brow.

Ooooh. Right. I just had Alice shake me to allow her to plan the wedding and now I had Kitty shaking me to buy her dresses for her bitty baby doll. Do all the female species do this or is it just the females I'm around? It seemed like they all did. All my previous girlfriends, my sister, and even my mother always got something out of me when I wronged them. Bella was the only one who never tried to get anything out of me. I couldn't help but laugh though. I was going to be forgiven by just buying dresses for her baby doll.

"As soon as we are back in LA, I will take you to the bitty baby store. Now can I kiss you?"

Kitty smiled and nodded. I planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek and Kitty laughed and wiped her cheek. I slid my arm behind her neck and rubbed little circles on her shoulder. While we talked about what she wanted to do on our date I saw the door open. Bella entered the room on a wheelchair pushed by Dad. I saw her smile and she looked relieved when she saw Kitty and me smiling.

"Kissed and made up?" Dad asked smiling and I nodded. "I got permission to have Bella visit Kitty for five minutes and then I need to wheel her back to her room."

I got up from the chair and Dad and I helped Bella out of the wheelchair and had her sit in the chair beside Kitty's bed. Bella had tears in her eyes. I thought she was going to kiss and cuddle Kitty but was very surprised to see what she did next.

"Kitty, don't ever do this to me again. Do you understand? You had everyone worried. Auntie Alice dove into the cold water to save you. Your Daddy, Auntie Rosalie, Uncle Emmett was really worried sick about you. Even Grandpa had to come all the way here leaving Grandma and Uncle Jasper at home to be with you. Don't ever leave the house on your own. Do you understand me?" I had never seen Bella act so strict to Kitty. Kitty was sick in a hospital bed and had just only regained consciousness. She was in no condition to be scolded. Kitty cried. When I was about to interrupt Bella, Dad stopped me and shook his head.

"You'll learn soon. Parenting isn't an easy task. You need to be strict sometimes. I don't quite agree that this was the time or place to discipline Kitty but I can understand where Bella is coming from. Kitty was all Bella had until she met you after Stephen died. She could have lost Kitty today. This is Bella's way of showing how much she loves Kitty and how important Kitty is to her," Dad whispered into my ear.

"I'm sorry," Kitty said and sobbed.

"I love you baby. I don't want to lose you. Baby Matthew needs you. Your Daddy needs you," Bella said and pulled Kitty closer to her and kissed her.

I had a lot to learn about parenting. Dad was always the strict one when I was bad and Mom was the sweet one but she always supported Dad's decision when disciplining us. Once we were back in LA I probably should discuss with Bella and set some guidelines on what is acceptable and what isn't so that we were on the same page.

"Well, Bella, I'm sorry but your five minutes is up. I'll stay with Kitty. Edward can wheel you back to your room."

"Be a good girl for Grandpa," Bella said and kissed Kitty before she got up from her chair. Dad and I helped her back into the wheelchair. I kissed Kitty and told her that I'll be back to see her later.

I helped Bella back into her bed. Her doctor came in and checked on her. "You're doing much better. I can release you today or if you'd rather spend the night here I can release you tomorrow morning."

Bella looked at me with pleading eyes. "Let's get you released. I can take care of you back at the cabin. If you want to be released then you can't stay here,." I said to her.

"Cabin," Bella said to me.

"All right then. I'll have someone bring you the papers to sign," the doctor said and left the room.

"Let's get you dressed. We'll go and see Alice and then go and see Kitty. Emmett needs to leave tonight but Rose is staying so I'll ask Rose to stay with Alice and Dad with Kitty."

"How about Rose takes me back to the cabin and you stay with Kitty and Carlisle with Alice. Rose must be really tired."

"That would be a great idea if you weren't lying in this bed half an hour ago. Your blood sugar level need to be monitoried. Rose wouldn't be able to take care of you properly if your blood sugar level dropped again. So it's either going to be me or Dad taking you back to the cabin. Since Alice is also hospitalized I think Dad would want to stay here though."

"You're right. I can understand Carlisle wanting to stay here with Alice. Okay. Let's go and see Alice and then we'll say good bye to Kitty. Emmett drove me here and you came on the ambulance so I guess we'll have to go back to the cabin on Emmett's jeep. Rose can get a ride with your Dad tonight."

We went to Alice's room and informed Rose and Emmett that we needed Emmett to drive us back to the cabin. I told Emmett that I'd help him check out of the cabin and move Rose's things to mine. I spoke to Alice's doctor and was told that she could be released tomorrow as long as she was in Dad or my care. After we were back in Kitty's room I informed Dad about Alice. He said that he didn't think it was a good idea for Alice to be around Bella so he told me that he would take Alice back home to LA tomorrow after she is released. Rose could ride Alice's car back to LA tomorrow and Bella and I would stay at the cabin until the day they release Kitty.

Emmett looked sad that he had to leave Rose behind but said that he was glad that Bella, Kitty, and Alice were much better now. I thanked Dad for taking care of Kitty for me and we kissed Kitty goodbye. On our way back to the cabin we stopped by to pick up some burgers and fries. Emmett looked thrilled and so did Bella.

"Damn, I didn't realize how hungry I was until now. I could probably eat like five burgers," Emmett said and we laughed at him.

After Emmett left, I tucked Bella into bed. "I was really scared when I heard from Eleazar's friend that you were also being treated. I didn't like it that everyone kept referring to you as my fiancé and Kitty as my fiance's daughter. I want you to be my wife. I want people to call Kitty my daughter. Bella, let's get married before the end of this month,"

Bella looked shocked. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly trying to form a coherent sentence. "Edward, there's only less than two weeks left this month. Is it even possible?"

"I'm sure Alice can help us organize everything. It'll just be us and our family."

"If that's what you want then I'd be happy to get married to you as soon as we can decide on a day all of your family members can attend," Bella said and kissed me.

* * *

**A/N **

I hope you liked this chapter. It wasn't the usual humorous chapter but I wanted to do something to show how serious Edward was as he took on the role of Kitty's father. Also I've been painting Alice too vain lately so I needed to redeem her character to how I started her character as in the beginning of the story.

I'm sorry it took me a while to update this story. I went back to work full time from February 1st and I've been too exhausted to sit down and write. I think I finally got the hang of my new schedule so I should be able to update regularly now.

Please leave me a review so I could know if you liked this chapter or not. I think this was the longest chapter I've written for this story. I hope it wasn't just long but enjoyable for you all.

Next chapter will be the wedding.


	38. Chapter 38 The World Part 1

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

Other credits pertaining to the information in this chapter are at the end of the A/N.

The links to Bella's wedding dress, the hotel they are staying etc. are on my profile under Chapter 38 (end of my profile page).

Aloha! Kick back, relax, enjoy the sun, hula, and have one of those lil cocktail with umbrellas on 'em! I have chosen the Hawaiian songs playing in the suite that Bella and Edward are staying at. These songs are soft and soothing just to give them some relaxing and comforting mood. I hope you like them!

**Song list:** (links to the songs are on my profile under Chapter 38. If you have time, please listen to them.)

E Ho'i I Ka Pili

Kawaipunahele

E OMai

Kauanoeanuhea

**Chapter 38 The World Part 1**

**Bella POV**

"Wake up, Love," I heard Edward say to me while he gently shook me.

"Ten more minutes, please."

"Aloha! Mommy. Wake up!"

For the last few days every greeting from Kitty was "Aloha" after Edward got her interested in watching Lilo & Stitch after telling her that we were all going to Hawaii. She had quickly become obsessed with Hawaiian music and the hula.

"Sweetheart, we won't be late. Please give Mommy ten more minutes of peace. I promise to get out of bed if you stay quiet for me for ten minutes," I begged Kitty.

"All right, Princess. Let's go make some breakfast for Mommy," Edward said to Kitty and left the bedroom.

After being unable to agree on whether to get married in Las Vegas or LA, as a joke I suggested to Edward and Alice that we should get married in Oahu. As soon as the word slipped out of my mouth, Alice squealed and clapped her hands telling me that I was a genius to come up with that solution. Edward seemed really thrilled about that suggestion as well and gave me a kiss. Getting married in Hawaii cleared all the requirements I made to Alice. I needed the ocean, blue sky, mountains, warmth, lots of activities for Kitty, nice hotels, great food, romantic places to go, and plenty of things we could do as a family,

We were divided into 3 groups to fly to Honolulu. Alice and Jasper already left 2 days ago so that she could iron out the details and that there were no surprise waiting when we arrived. Rosalie and Emmett were flying on United from LAX Terminal 7 to Honolulu at 8:43 a.m. and arriving in Honolulu at 12:35 pm. Edward, Kitty, Esme, Carlisle and I were flying on Delta from Terminal 4 of LAX to Honolulu at 8:45 and arriving in Honolulu at 12:33 p.m. Just to be safe Carlisle wanted to be on the same flight as me so that it wasn't just Edward to take care of me in case something happened.

I quickly jumped into the shower before Edward and Kitty came back to hassle me again. The flight from LAX to Honolulu was approximately 6 hours so I looked forward to catching a few more hours of sleep on the plane. It was only 5 am right now, but Edward wanted to leave here by 6:00 a.m. to avoid any kind of mishap, and he had learned quite quickly that having Kitty with us meant that we couldn't rush anything. I didn't understand why we needed to be at the airport almost 2 hours before departure when it wasn't even an international flight, but with all the recent heightened security Edward insisted that it was better to be there early, and sit by the boarding gate or at a restaurant in the airport than having to rush to get there.

He had a point, but I just didn't like waking up at 5 a.m. It felt like I only went to bed ten minutes ago. I fully expected a nice breakfast waiting for me when I got to the kitchen, but all I saw was a bowl of cereal, juice, and milk.

"Edward? Is this breakfast?" I frowned at him.

"Sorry, Love. Kitty said she wanted to eat breakfast watching planes take off so I thought we could just have a few bites here and have a full breakfast at the airport." Edward realized I was pouting. He quickly hugged me and gave me a kiss.

"If it's any consolation Terminal 5 has better selection of food than Terminal 7. Once Emmett finds out about this he's going to go berserk that the reason I insisted on flying on Delta was because of the food selection in the terminal and that he's stuck with the terminal with less selection of food," Edward said and chuckled.

"Well what's in Terminal 5?"

"Well for Kitty we can get her ice cream at Euro Coffee and Haagen Dazs, Creative Croissant is supposed to have some pretty good breakfast food, there's a pizza place, Mexican food, McDonalds, and a bar called Malibu Al's."

"All right, the selection sounds reasonable and I'm sure we can find something for everyone there," I said and kissed Edward's forehead for being thoughtful.

While I finished packing my toiletries Edward started to load the luggage into the car. Kitty was thrilled to travel. She had her own luggage to take to Hawaii. Esme and Carlisle got her a Disney Princess rolling luggage for her from Disney store. They even got her a matching Disney Princess bathing suit she could wear in Hawaii.

I actually really enjoyed planning for this event. It didn't stress me out at all. I was far from a bridezilla. Since we only had a little over two weeks to plan there wasn't any room to be picky so Alice pretty much agreed to almost everything I chose. She really wanted to design a wedding dress for me, but because of the time constraint and I really wanted her to just have fun with me planning this event, we decided to just purchase a dress. She tried really hard to convince Edward and me to postpone the wedding until after Matthew was born though. She wanted a picture perfect bride. Edward told her that I was perfect the way I looked now. I felt like a whale and I understood Alice's reasoning that the pictures would look so much better if I didn't have such a huge belly, but all things considered having the wedding before I had Matthew was going to be the most convenient on everyone involved. Once Matthew was born both Edward and I would be too preoccupied taking care of Matthew and would probably be too exhausted to do anything else from lack of sleep. After looking through a vast selection of maternity wedding dresses, we settled on a Jessica Iverson's "The Samantha dress." It was a Grecian inspired empire waist with beading along the straps and under the bust. It was very simple but I fell in love with it the minute I saw it and Alice also said that it was THE dress for me.

Once Matthew was born we planned on moving into our new house. Carlisle was going back to Forks after Matthew was born, but Esme insisted on staying with us for another few months after he was born. She told me she wanted to help me take care of the baby. I didn't want to inconvenience her, but Edward said that we would be doing his Mom a favor by letting her stay. Edward said that Matthew was going to be their first grandchild she gets to take care of. I felt really blessed that Carlisle and Esme really thought of Kitty and Matthew as their real grandchildren. It didn't seem to make a difference to them that they weren't blood related.

We all met at Emmett and Rosalie's place before we all left for the airport. We picked Carlisle and Esme up there, and they got into our car. Emmett and Rosalie got into their jeep and followed behind us towards the airport. Unfortunately, the high school basketball season hadn't ended yet so Emmett was leaving Hawaii on Friday so that he could be back for the game on Saturday. The assistant coach was willing to cover for Emmett during the week, but insisted that Emmett be back for the game on Saturday. Rose thought of leaving together with Emmett, but decided on staying with us throughout the week. She said it would be ridiculous for her to return with Emmett when he would be busy with basketball and she'd be home alone anyway.

We waved towards Rose and Emmett when we got near the airport and went to our designated terminals. The check-in was smoother than expected since it wasn't high season to travel for tourists, but since the flight was early there were a lot of business travelers at the airport. Since we all seemed to want something different we decided to just meet at the boarding gate 10 minutes before the departure time. Kitty said she wanted to eat at McDonalds and I didn't, so Esme and Carlisle offered to take Kitty to McDonalds, and once she was done eating they told us that they would bring her to us so that they could go to Malibu Al's, and just relax there over a few drinks.

Edward and I headed off to Creative Croissant and ordered some grilled sandwiches and breakfast burrito. Creative Croissant was a full service restaurant so we liked it that we could just relax here until boarding. I felt a little bad that Esme and Carlisle were stuck at McDonalds with Kitty, but they were really sweet and told me that they hadn't had McDonalds' food in years so they actually looked forward to it. Half an hour later, Esme and Carlisle still hadn't come to drop Kitty off so I decided to give Esme a call to ask what was up.

"Hi, Esme. Kitty isn't done eating yet?"

"Hello, dear. Oh Kitty's been done a while, but Carlisle and I've been having such a great time here we decided not to go to Malibu Al's."

"You're still at McDonalds?"

"We are, dear. There are so many different items on the menu now than when Emmett, Edward, and Alice used to be a child. Have you had the McSkillet Burritos, McGriddles, and the Southern Style Chicken Biscuit? We ordered so many items off the breakfast menu I don't think we're going to finish them," Esme said and giggled.

"Oh, umm… well, enjoy then. We'll see you three at the boarding gate. Bye Esme."

"Bye, dear. Enjoy your breakfast."

"What did Mom say?" Edward asked.

"They're having a blast at McDonalds. Esme sounded really excited." I said and laughed. A minute later, both Edward and I received a text message from Esme with a photo attached to it. It was a picture of Carlisle and Kitty with a huge smile on their faces and in front of them were a table full of the items from the breakfast menu.

"Oh well. If they're happy, we shouldn't worry then." Edward laughed.

After we finished eating I went to the ladies room so that I could avoid using the sorry excuse of a toilet on the plane for the first hour or so. Edward made sure our seats were relatively close to the toilet so that I wouldn't have to walk around too much to get there. We also stopped and bought some magazines, snack, and juice. We just wanted to be prepared to deal with Kitty in every way possible. This was going to be the fourth time for Kitty to fly this long. The first time Kitty and I flew this long was with Stephen when we three were relocating from LA to Chicago for Stephen's cancer treatment, but Kitty was too young to remember that flight. The second time she flew this long was our move from Chicago to LA which was when we first ran into Edward at O'Hare. The image of Edward asleep with Kitty at O'Hare brought a smile on my face. The third time was our trip to New York but we also had Alice and Jasper with us and they were really great at keeping Kitty occupied during the flight.

"What was the smile for?"

"I was reminiscing about the first time I met you. It was at O'Hare airport." Edward nodded and smiled.

"And here we are, together, on our way to get married in Hawaii," Edward said and gave me a kiss.

**Edward POV**

The flight was quite pleasant. Mom, Kitty, and Bella pretty much slept throughout the whole flight. Dad and I were both awake, but the in-flight movies kept us entertained.

When we got off the plane Dad, Mom, Kitty, Bella and I got into the sedans that were part of the suite package of our hotel. Rosalie, and Emmett were each picking up a rental car so that each couple would have a ride of their own during the stay in Oahu. We would probably end up in just 2 cars for the duration of our trip, but we thought having an option of having our own rides would be ideal and we didn't want to bother cutting cost on a once in a lifetime event for Bella and I. I had no plans of getting married ever again to anyone else. Bella was "it" for me. This was Bella's second time to get married, but deep down I was sure that this was going to be the last time for her to get married too. We were going to be together till the end of our existence.

Bella and I had the Kahala Beach suite and Dad, Mom, and Kitty were in the suite next door to us. The rest were in the Kahala Kai suite which was a floor above us. This way we were all in the same Dolphin Lagoon wing. Mom and Dad kindly offered to keep Kitty with them throughout the duration of our trip. I couldn't thank them enough. This trip was special to Bella and me since it was also serving as a honeymoon for us until we could get away again after Matthew was born.

I had suggested to Bella that we stay in a different hotel than our family during our stay in Oahu, but Bella insisted on staying in the same hotel, so that she could be near Kitty just in case Kitty asked for Bella or me in the middle of the night which was a regular occurrence lately. After the accident at Big Bear Lake, Kitty had been experiencing some nightmares. She had been crawling into our bed in the middle of the night quite often. It had become quite uncomfortable for Bella to have penetrative sex with me so having Kitty crawl into our bed hadn't really messed with our sex life. We became much more creative though. I quickly became a fan of Bella's delicate hands and her luscious mouth and Bella of mine.

When we arrived at the resort we were pleasantly welcomed with leis and Kitty twirled around all excited from the warm greeting we received. We were led to our rooms and when we entered our room there was a soft Hawaiian music playing. While the porter took care of our luggage I saw Bella kick her shoes off and open the glass sliding doors. She stepped out onto the patio and stretched her body. The expression on her face was serene and beautiful.

As lovely as The Royal Hawaiian hotel also known as the Pink Palace of the Pacific in Waikiki looked, I was glad Bella won over Alice and selected Kahala Hotel and resort where we would all be staying at. Bella preferred this secluded hotel in the Kahala district which was about a 10 minute drive from Waikiki.

I joined Bella on the patio and we both sat on the chaise lounge chairs placed on the patio. The patio had 2 chaise lounge chairs, 2 reclining chairs to sunbathe, outdoor dining table for 6, and even a barbecue grill to entertain. As we relaxed on the lounge chairs and breathed in the beautiful ocean breeze we saw Kitty run towards the ocean with Dad running after her. Kitty was already in her Disney Princess bathing suit and Dad was also shirtless wearing just a pair of swim shorts. Since we didn't see Mom, we assumed she was probably also relaxing in the patio next door.

The whole atmosphere was so different compared to LA even though we also spent a lot of time at the beach. Bella and I just enjoyed cuddling on the lounge chair and watching the ocean wave crash. My phone buzzed and noticed that it was from Emmett.

"Bro, we've checked in. Rose and I are in the room right above you. I see Dad and Kitty on the beach. We're really hungry. We're thinking of grabbing a bite to eat. I assume Bella is probably hungry too."

"Just a sec, Em. I'll ask Bella."

"Love, would you like to join Em and Rose for a bite?"

"Definitely. I'm starved," Bella said and rubbed her stomach.

"Em, we'll join you. Do you want me to call everyone else?"

"Nah, Rose is calling Alice as we speak. She'll call Mom and Dad next. It's you guys' wedding and honeymoon. Let us take care of all the details. So we're thinking of hitting The Plumeria Beach house. They have an outside terrace and a Keiki Menu for Kitty."

"Sounds great! Meet you guys there in like 10 minutes then?"

"Make it 15 so that we can get there before you two and get a table."

"Thanks for everything, Em. See ya guys soon."

This trip was really turning out great. There were lots of things we needed to decide before we got here, but once we were here everyone else took charge and made sure we didn't have to lift a finger. We enrolled Kitty in the Keiki program at the hotel from Thursday afternoon. This resort had a children's program half or full day with different activities everyday for children. My parents didn't mind looking after Kitty all day, but Bella insisted on enrolling her in the program so that Kitty could learn something about the Hawaiian culture and socialize with other children. It would also give Mom and Dad some time alone.

Thursday morning we were going to have some fun with the dolphins in the Dolphin Lagoon. We had reserved the Family Swim program which was a package deal for up to 5 people to play and take pictures with Ohana, the dolphin, for half an hour. Since the package was limited to just 5 people it was going to be Dad, Mom, Kitty, Emmett and I. Bella opted not to participate in case she might slip in the pool and have an accident and both Rose and Alice weren't really interested. Jasper said that he would come along just to take pictures of us and not participate in the program.

When we got to the Plumeria Beach House, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were all seated and sipping some colorful cocktails. Jasper and Emmett seemed to be really into the mood and were wearing aloha shirts already.

"Mmmm. Looks good. What are you guys drinking?"

"I'm drinking the Kahala original Mai Tai, Rosie is drinking Blue Hawaii, Jazz is drinking Lava flow which is Bacardi, pineapple, coconut, and strawberry, and I'm drinking the Tropical itch, which is bourbon, Bacardi, amber rum, orange curacao, passion fruit, and lemon hart 151. What do you want, Edward? There are lots of nice smoothies and flavored iced teas for Bella that are non alcoholic." Emmett said and looked really happy. It was really nice to see my family really enjoying their time here.

"Hmmm, I'll have the Strawberry Magic smoothie," Bella said after looking at the drink menu.

"I'll have the Hawaiian limeade. Where are Mom, Dad, and Kitty?" I asked Emmett.

"Oh, they decided to go to The Veranda instead. They're having afternoon tea there. Mom thought Kitty would like that more since you took her to afternoon tea on your date with her."

"Oh, that's so sweet of them. I'm sure Kitty's having a grand time," Bella said and smiled.

"So, what are we ordering for lunch? I'm starving! I'm getting the Kahala Burger with fries. Anyone else?"

"I want that too," Bella said to Emmett.

"I think I want the grilled ahi sandwich." I said as I rubbed my stomach. I didn't realize I was this hungry until I saw this menu.

"I'll have the same as Edward," Rose said and waved her menu to get my attention.

"Alice and I are having the variation of Hawaiian pupus."

"What's that?" Emmett asked curiously.

"It says it's an assortment of sweet prawn cocktail, spicy chicken, spring roll, and rice balls with grilled salmon and pickled Japanese plum."

"Interesting, but I'm more of the meat and potatoes kind of guy," Emmett said and laughed.

Lunch was fun and we ended up ordering several more drinks. After lunch we all decided to do our own thing until we all got together for dinner. Alice and Rose decided to go shopping to Kahala Mall and Emmett and Jasper were going surfing. Bella and I decided to drive to Waikiki and walk down Kalakaua Avenue. Bella suggested we call Mom and Dad to see if they wanted to join us or have us take Kitty off their hands. When I called them they told us not to worry about them, and that they were perfectly happy having Kitty with them.

We drove to Hilton Hawaiian village and parked there. We decided to do a little sightseeing by taking the red line of the Waikiki Trolley. The trolley started from Hilton Hawaiian village and stopped at Royal Hawaiian shopping center, Duke Kahanamoku Statue, and when the trolley got to the `Iolani Palace, Bella and I got off to do a little sightseeing.

"So, what's the 411 about this place? It's really beautiful," Bella asked.

"Let's see. It's a Hawaiian treasure and the only official residence of royalty in the United States. It was the official residence of the Hawaiian Kingdom's last two monarchs, King Kalakaua who built this palace in 1882 and his sister and successor Queen Lili`uokalani. The Royal Hawaiian Band plays here from noon to 1 pm most Fridays. We should come back here on Friday. I think Mom and Dad would love it. Let's go and check out the building. We haven't made reservation so we can't do the guided tour, but we can take the audio tour," I said and took Bella to the ticket window.

The furnishings and the artifacts were beautiful. It was classic and we could easily imagine and feel what it was like back in the old days. The royal thrones were noble and the crown jewels were charming. They were not one of those extravagantly decorated pieces, but were beautiful in a very regal and classic way. We both really enjoyed the tour and once we were done with the tour we stopped by the Palace shop to see if we could find something interesting for our family. We purchased an `Iolani Palace coloring book for Kitty, the Royal Hawaiian band concert CD, and a Christmas tree ornament of the `Iolani Palace.

"Where should we stop next?" Bella asked.

"I was thinking of stopping at Hilo Hattie. It's like a huge Hawaiian souvenir shop. We didn't pack any Hawaiian dress for Kitty so I thought we could get her a little Hawaiian print dress," I said to Bella.

"I think that's a wonderful idea. Kitty's going to love it."

We got back on the trolley and got off at Hilo Hattie. We went directly to where they had children's clothing. We found some cute little dresses for keiki wahine (little girls). We chose a red and white hibiscus pareo two piece dress set for Kitty.

After we purchased Kitty's muumuu and some aloha shirts, instead of going further on the trolley trip, we decided to turn around and go back to Hilton Hawaiian Village to pick up our car and head back to the hotel.

"I'm having such a great time. I love it here," Bella said and snuggled into my chest on the trolley ride back.

"So am I. I've never had so much fun in Hawaii. The last time I was in Hawaii was several years ago for a conference. I was with Jessica at the time and I just didn't enjoy the trip at all."

"Was she that bad? I would have thought vacationing with her would have at least been fun. I thought she would've been the type to want to explore everything."

"Well, she did want to explore a lot of things, but everything first class and it didn't include me in it. I needed to stay at the Hyatt Regency for the conference, but she insisted on staying at the Vera Wang Suite at the Halekulani. I told her she could accompany me as long as she stayed with me, but while I was at the conference she took all her things and checked herself into Halekulani using the credit card I issued for her."

"Oh. Wow. That's a bit extreme. Why didn't you just stop the credit card?"

"Well all my colleagues were with me and I didn't want her embarrassing me in front of them. If I had stopped the card there was no doubt in my mind that she would throw a fit in front of them."

"So after the conference, did you at least enjoy some time with her?"

"I wish I could say that I did, but right after the reception after the conference was over I called her and she told me that she checked out of Halekulani and was golfing in Maui. Evidently she ran into some of my parents' friends at the Halekulani and they were leaving for Maui to their summer homes and invited her to join them."

"Oh my gosh. So you just went back to New York or followed her to Maui?"

"New York."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Edward. I promise to make this trip memorable for you and erase all the bad memories you have of here," Bella said and kissed me. After I kissed her, the elderly lady sitting beside Bella started talking to her.

"Is the baby a boy or a girl?" One of the elderly ladies of the group who sat beside Bella asked while she touched Bella's stomach. For a second I saw Bella's eyes narrow, but quickly it was gone and there was a fake smile plastered on Bella's face.

"A boy," I answered for her.

"Oh how wonderful. Is he your first?"

"Second. We have a daughter," I said to her.

"Oh she must be really beautiful. I could tell just by looking at you two. Don't ya think, Jeanie?" The elderly lady said and tapped her friend sitting beside her.

"If I was 40 years younger you would be in so much trouble. We would be all over your husband," another one of the elderly ladies group said to Bella. Bella forced a smile.

"Are you two vacationing without your daughter?"

"She's with my parents at the hotel."

"Oh they are so lucky to be able to travel along. My children would never let me accompany them. You all must be very close to each other."

"Yes we are. My brother and his girlfriend and my sister and her boyfriend are also here with us."

"What an ideal family. Your parents raised you very well," all the ladies nodded in agreement.

"Thank you."

Thankfully the ladies all got off at the stop for Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. The ladies all shouted goodbye to us and wished Bella safe and smooth delivery of the baby. Bella blushed crimson and covered her face with her hands. Everyone in the trolley and around the trolley stared at us. I wrapped my arms around Bella and tried to soothe her. Bella groaned.

"I really should have bought the T shirt that said 'Keep your hands off my belly' with a handprint on it."

"Aww, I'm so sorry, love. I'll try to be more cautious and fend away the hands that come near your belly," I said and kissed her forehead.

We finally arrived at Hilton Hawaiian Village and we walked to the car park. We hopped into the car and headed back to the hotel so that we could shower and get ready for dinner.

"Do you remember where we booked for tonight's dinner?" Bella asked. We made so many reservations it was hard to remember where we were eating on what day.

"I think we settled on going to the luau at The Royal Hawaiian since it was the only beachfront luau in Waikiki and they didn't roast a whole pig like in the traditional luau. You wanted to make sure Emmett got to experience the luau while he was here."

"Oh, now I remember. I hope Emmett and Kitty love the luau. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I wasn't really sure if Kitty could handle a whole pig being roasted in front of her."

"I agree with you, Bella. I think it would be better if Kitty experienced the traditional luau when she's a little older. She already has problems with seafood claiming she doesn't want to eat her friends from The Little Mermaid. With that line of thinking she'll probably say she won't eat pork because she doesn't want to eat 'Babe'. I think we'll all have an awesome time. It'll really make us feel like we're in Hawaii," I said and kissed Bella.

We were running a little late so we had to rush and get ready for the luau. We were taking a limo to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel since we would all intoxicated at the luau and could all be in the same car together.

The Royal Hawaiian Hotel was one of the first hotels built in Waikiki. It opened its doors in February, 1927. It was once the Hawaii residence for President Roosevelt and boasts the invention of the Shirley Temple cocktail, since she had frequented the hotel when she was a child. The hotel was really regal and beautiful. We walked in and around the property and took some pictures. A very sweet couple offered to take a picture of our whole family. We thanked them and quickly made our way to the Ocean lawn overlooking the beach and Diamond Head as backdrop where the luau took place. Emmett had Kitty on his shoulders and he was so excited even Rose couldn't control him anymore. Emmett had become a child again and his body shook from excitement. When we got to the luau, we were greeted with leis, Mai Tai, and luau punch that made Emmett even more excited.

"Look, Kitty! There's a stage! We can go up and dance later! Oh the buffet looks awesome too!" Emmett yelled earning a few chuckles from people near our table. Rosalie slapped behind his head and told him to lower his voice and that he was embarrassing all of us.

"Rosie, who gives a damn. We're not going to see these people again. Let me have some fun. It's the advantage of being a tourist," he said and earned a death glare from Mom.

"Dear, you're an adult. You're supposed to be a good example to Kitty," Mom warned him.

"Lighten up, Mom. Let Em have some fun. The show hasn't started and it's not like he's bothering anyone that badly," Alice said and laughed.

The spread of the buffet was excellent. It was no wonder Emmett was so thrilled about the buffet. There were chilled avocado egg pudding with King crab, Beef tataki with mustard salsa and sprouts, bamboo skewered chicken with mango BBQ sauce, crab cakes with Kalamansi lime-chili sauce, soy butterfish with pickled cucumbers, Kahlua pig, Mahi Mahi, Lau Lau (steamed Polynesian pork and fish),chicken with long rice, teriyaki beef, fried rice, baked sweet potatoes, ahi gyoza with wasabi dip, ceviche with Chinese roasted duck with Hoison vinaigrette sauce, Kona lobster in curry sauce, luau osso bucco on smashed taro, braised choi sum, variety of salads, poi, lomi salmon, Haupia cake (coconut cake), and various kinds of cakes with fruits on them, crème brule, tropical sorbet martinis, Hawaiian chocolate and Kona coffee opera cake, and cheesecake lollipops.

This luau, Aha Aina (The royal celebration) was a 3 part act. First we got to watch and try some time honored activities such as the kapa making, poi pounding, and na lawai'a (tending of fishing tools). Once were done with the activities, we heard the sound of Pu (conch shell) to signify the start of the feast.

"Yes!" Emmett pumped his fist in the air that he could finally get his hands on the food.

"I raised a savage," Mom whimpered and covered her face with her hands. Dad rubbed soothing circles on her back, but you could tell he was trying to hold his smile. Emmett's over excitement didn't seem to bother him at all. He actually looked like he was enjoying it.

While we ate, the storyteller on the stage talked to us about the significance of lei giving, the ocean and the taro. Leis were given as a token of love, friendship, admiration, farewell, greetings, to show aloha spirit, graduations, birthdays, and wedding.

Mom and Dad seemed to especially like the significance behind the long tradition of the respect of the taro, the land, and how it was represented through their language. Each part of the family was represented in the stage of the plant. The 'oha (new corms) as fresh starts of children, kalo (leaves and stems) as the respected resource as giving parents, and the Hawaiians also believed that their ancestors are part of the taro plants as well as they give nourishment to further generations. Taros are used in ceremonies and kept sacred. Bella also seemed captivated with the significance of the plant to the Hawaiian culture as well. Family was important to her. She no longer had her parents so my family, Kitty, Matthew and I were very precious to her.

After dinner, people were called up on the stage to learn to hula. Emmett jumped on the opportunity and took Kitty along with him onto the stage. I quickly grabbed the camcorder and moved towards the stage and Jasper also followed me with his camera in hand.

Kitty looked adorable trying to imitate the moves that were being taught to them and the outfit Bella and I purchased for her made her standout from the crowd as none of the other little girls wore Hawaiian dresses. Kitty looked really good on stage. The practice she got from imitating the hula while she watched Lilo and Stitch seemed to have paid off. Bella watched Kitty nervously worrying that she might slip and fall off the stage. There was no need to worry. Kitty was a natural on stage, and on the other hand Emmett looked like a total goofball. Rosalie bellowed at Emmett on stage while Alice catcalled. Even Mom cheered for Emmett and Kitty really loud. Bella seemed to have relaxed after she noticed that Kitty seemed to have no problem being on stage.

"I never realized that Kitty was so coordinated in dancing. She acted so silly at home. I just assumed she took after me in regards to dancing," Bella said to me and I smiled.

"She has great rhythm."

"Hmmm. Well it's not from my side of the family. It must be Stephen's genes."

"Who knows? Maybe if your parents let you take some dance lessons when you were as young as Kitty, you could have been a dancer."

"Not in this life. I tried ballet when I was as young as Kitty. I sucked," Bella said and laughed. "I even have some videotapes of them. I'll show it to you sometimes," Bella giggled.

After the people got off the stage, the professional dancers got on stage. There was a dramatic performance of hula and singing. The fire throwers looked really fantastic. Kitty and Alice gasped and clapped while they watched the fire jugglers work their magic on stage. I wrapped my arm around Bella's shoulders and she leaned into me while we watched the rest of the show.

**Bella POV**

I woke up to loud ringing of the phone. I tried to ignore by burying my head under the pillow, but the ringing wouldn't stop. Whoever was calling so early was definitely going to be killed by Edward or me. I heard Edward groan and reach out to grab the phone.

"Hello?" Edward said and groaned.

"Do we have to get up this early? Can't we just skip the rehearsal? Alice! Stop yelling into my ears… okay, okay, we will," I heard Edward say. I assumed the phone call was from Alice. I felt Edward shake me gently.

"I'm up," I said to Edward although I was sure I didn't sound convincing.

"Love, the phone call was from Alice. She wants you to jump into the shower so that you're done showering by the time breakfast arrives. Evidently she ordered breakfast for us and it's going to be here in a few minutes. As soon as we're finished eating, we're meeting the wedding coordinator and then the rehearsal. If you need a few more minutes, I'll jump in the shower first."

"Thank you, Edward. That sounds nice. I appreciate it," I said and grunted a little. Edward chuckled and lifted the pillow off my head and gave me a kiss on my cheek.

"I'll see you in a few. If the food arrives before I'm out of the shower, could you sign for it?"

"Okay," I said to him and slowly started to stretch my body under the covers. I slowly sat up and pulled my legs over the side of the bed and got up. I ran my fingers through my hair to make it look as presentable as possible just in case Edward wasn't out of the shower before the food arrived. I grabbed the terry robe and covered myself. I went to grab a glass of water and walked out onto the patio. The sun was shining brightly, but the breeze from the ocean was still cool and calming. I heard the sound of the knock from the door so I went and opened the door. I requested for the food to be brought out to the dining table outside on the patio and quickly signed for the food.

I sat on the patio and poured myself a large glass of orange juice. I could hear Kitty's laugh from the patio next door. They seemed to be having breakfast out on the patio as well.

"Good morning Kitty!" I shouted towards the patio next door.

"Mommy?" I heard Kitty say.

"Yes, Kitty. It's Mommy."

"I ate waffles. It was yummy." Kitty said to me.

"The breakfast just came. I'm waiting for Edward," I said to Kitty just as Edward came out to the patio with a towel around his hips. He looked confused and raised one of his brows.

"Kitty is in the patio next door. I think they just finished breakfast." I pointed towards next door and Edward smiled.

"Good morning, Kitty," Edward shouted.

"Good morning," Carlisle, Esme, and Kitty all shouted in unison. Edward and I chuckled.

I poured him some coffee and we ate breakfast while we watched the wave crash. I quickly ate and excused myself to go and take a shower. I reminded Edward to pack whatever he needed to get ready for the wedding as we were using our suite for me and the girls to get ready in and Edward was going to get ready next door.

* * *

**A/N **

Aloha! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and got you in the mood for Hawaii. I got to live in Oahu for a few months right after I graduated from uni so it's kind of sentimental for me writing a chapter of them in Hawaii and I hope my knowledge of Waikiki, Kahala and the other parts in Oahu and what I learned of the Hawaiian culture could be reflected into the chapters. This chapter was a bit of a filler basically events leading up to the wedding and setting things up. I'm sorry I couldn't fit the wedding into this chapter. I just need some time to research details so that I could present an authentic Hawaiian wedding with some additions to make it to suit my Edward and Bella. The end of this story is approaching. As hard as it is for me to let go of my Edward and Kitty and the rest in this story, I can't avoid the inevitable. I probably only have a couple more chapters and possibly an epilogue so I won't be rushing writing any of the remaining chapters. The next chapter is the wedding as the end of this chapter was the morning of the wedding. Please leave me a review! Mahalo!

Credits:

Information on Iolani Palace is from Wikipedia and Iolani Palace org website.

Information on the luau at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel is from the Hawaii Activities website.

**Songs by ****Keali'i Reichel **


	39. Chapter 39

**Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

The links to the outfits, location, and songs are on my profile under Chapter 39.

Credits are listed in my A/N at the end of the chapter.

Song list (youtube links listed on my profile under Chapter 39):

Keali'i Reichel – The road that never ends (song Bella walks down the aisle)

Keali'i Reichel – Now and Forever (cover by Keali'i Reichel originally by Richard Marx)

Keali'i Reichel – Lei Halia

Keali'i Reichel – He Lei No Kamaile

Keali'i Reichel – Hanohano ka lei pikake

Keali'i Reichel – Ipo lei momi

Keali'I Reichel – Maile's song

**Chapter 39 The World Part 2**

**Bella POV**

"For heaven's sake, will you please stop eating? You're getting married in less than an hour! Normally brides would be very nervous at this point and the last thing on their minds would be food!" Rose huffed.

"I get cranky and sick in my stomach when I'm hungry. I would faint while standing under the sun if I don't feed myself and the baby," I said to Rose and stuck my tongue out at her.

"Very mature," Rose said to me and Kitty giggled.

I was still in my robe so that I could sit and relax until the last minute. Alice didn't want me to get my dress wrinkled. Rose offered to do all the touchup to my makeup so I wasn't worried from messing my lipstick from snacking on the tea sandwiches.

Kitty was also in her tank top and shorts per Alice's order so that she also wouldn't mess up her dress. She currently sat on my lap and was busy eating the sandwiches with me.

"I hate to break this little tea party, but I probably should finish taking the pictures so that I could get ready myself. Alice, is it too soon to have Bella change into her dress?" Jasper asked Alice. We hired photographers for the wedding, but Alice also had Jasper taking pictures as well. He was in the room with us snapping pictures while we got ready for the wedding.

"Don't ask me, ask her! She's the one who's been eating nonstop. Once she's done, then Rosalie can touch up her makeup and then we can help her into her dress," Alice said and glared at me and Jasper.

"Whoah! I was merely suggesting. I know you don't want to rush, darlin'."

"You're right. Okay, Bella. Stop eating! Mom, would you please help Kitty get dressed? Rose, can I have a hand to slip the dress on Bella?" Esme and Rose nodded.

After I took my robe off, Rose and Alice started to puff me with baby powder over the areas on my body that would be hidden underneath my dress so that I could stay dry and comfortable. Once they got the dress on me, Alice went to get Jasper so that he could take pictures of me in the dress.

"Bella, you look so beautiful," Alice said while she helped me into my sandals. When I looked down at her I saw tears in her eyes.

"Alice? Why are you crying?"

"These are happy tears, but I'm mentally kicking myself for not introducing you to Edward earlier. It could have saved you from so much pain."

"Alice, if you introduced me to Edward earlier, I don't think we'd be here today. I believe there are special time and places for everything. If you didn't meet Jasper, then I wouldn't have met Stephen. Kitty wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be pregnant with Matthew either," I said as I gently rubbed soothing circles around my belly. Alice got up and gave me a hug. "I want to thank you for being my best friend and for all the love and support you've given me. Without you I don't know where I'd be today. I would probably still be lost, miserable, and alone with Kitty in Chicago if it weren't for you rescuing me," I said to Alice and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Bella, that's so sweet of you to say, but why you are here today is all of your doing. I only made the suggestions. You pulled yourself up. You picked yourself up after crying for days in your bed in Chicago and packed your bags and came out to LA to start over. Without your strength none of this would have happened," Alice said with tears running down her cheeks.

"Cut it out, Alice! You're making Bella cry. Her makeup is going to get ruined and her eyes are going to be red," Rose said and glared at Alice.

After our little group hug we all went out to the patio so that Jasper could take pictures of us with the ocean as the backdrop. I quickly went back inside, but Alice, Esme, Kitty, and Rosalie stayed out on the patio so that Jasper could take pictures of just them together. Alice had a clear idea of what kind of pictures she wanted for the coffee table book of our wedding. I wanted to get everyone together and have our pictures taken before the ceremony, but this was something Edward didn't agree on. He was traditional in some ways and insisted that he didn't want to see me in my gown before the ceremony. Since he insisted on not seeing me before the wedding, I told him then maybe we should sleep separately the night before the wedding, but to that he vehemently objected.

"I want to go and see Daddy," Kitty ran inside and said to me with Alice and Jasper behind her.

"Well, I think we're done here so Jazzy and I can take Kitty to the guys' room and start taking pictures there," Alice said and nodded at Jasper. "I need to make sure Edward has the sash on properly."

"Just a sec, I want to talk to Kitty before you guys go," I said to Alice and pulled Kitty towards me.

"Have I told you how much I love you and how beautiful you look today?" I said to Kitty.

Kitty beamed and gave me a hug. "Mommy, you're the prettiest."

"And she's right," Rose chimed in. "Your Mommy is always pretty, but she looks phenomenal today," Rose said and made me blush.

"Chop, chop. We have no time to waste. I'm pretty sure none of the guys are dressed yet. As soon as Dad is dressed, I'll have him come over here so that he can escort you outside," Alice said and took Kitty's hand and headed towards the door. I quickly went after them and whispered a thank you into Alice's ears before she went out the door. I was thankful for everyone for supporting Edward and I through this, but I was especially thankful for Alice and I wanted to make sure she knew.

Once we decided on having the wedding in Hawaii, Edward asked me if it would be all right with me if he didn't wear a tux. He told me he wanted to wear a white aloha shirt with white pants and a long red sash around his waist like how many of the grooms in Hawaii dressed. With that idea we decided Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper would wear aloha shirts as well instead of a tux. Alice organized ordering all the Aloha shirts and instead of everyone wearing the same Aloha shirts, she chose a different shirt for Carlisle that matched Esme's color of her dress and to differentiate him from Emmett and Jasper since he was walking me down the aisle.

I was surprised when I saw how simple Esme, Alice, and Rose's dresses were. Esme's dress was shades of beige and almond and Alice and Rose's was Tarragon. When I asked Alice why she chose such simple dresses, she told me that this was my day to stand out and that the simple dresses made the floral arrangements and the aloha shirts stand out more. Alice wanted to make sure that our group picture looked good so she had carefully chosen colors to match the floral arrangements and all the decorations we had.

Alice did an excellent job helping me prepare for the wedding and our trip. Edward and I left the details to Alice, but she ran everything through me before she ordered anything. She said this was my wedding so that I should have the final say. I knew it killed her when I chose something that wasn't to her liking, but she controlled herself and made sure to make changes to adapt to whatever I chose. She was wonderful and I definitely wouldn't have been able to pull all this off without her.

In a little while Carlisle came into our room. "There is something I want to give to you, Bella. It's an old tradition that runs in my side of the family," Carlisle said and showed me a little silver coin. "It's a silver sixpence. Normally I would put this in your shoe, but since you're wearing a sandal, I guess I'll have to tape it to your sandal," Carlisle said and chuckled.

"Oh, I've heard of that. Thank you, Carlisle. That's so sweet of you. It comes from 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe' isn't it?"

"Yes. I know I don't need to wish you any more wealth since both you and Edward have plenty of it, but it's a tradition and I don't know if I'm ever going to have this privilege to do this for Alice so please humor me, Bella," Carlisle said and smiled.

Esme's phone rang. "It's Alice," Esme said and took the call. "Alice wants Rose and I to head out to the gazebo. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett have headed out to the gazebo now. She said she'll call Carlisle as soon as they were all ready to walk down the aisle so that you and Edward don't run into each other." I kissed Esme and Rose as they headed out the door.

"It's time. Are you ready?" Carlisle asked. I smiled and nodded at him. I was a little nervous that I might trip while walking down the aisle, but Carlisle assured me earlier that he wouldn't let me fall. We met Alice and Kitty in the lobby. Alice gave me a kiss and told us to head towards the gazebo in five minutes.

Kitty walked in front of us with a basket full of yellow plumeria petals and I had my arm through Carlisle's. When we got near the gazebo, I saw the white aisle runner covered with Jasmine flowers as if there were no aisle runner underneath the flowers. It looked stunning, but what caught my attention the most was Edward standing in the yellow plumeria flower circle, looking tall and handsome, beaming at me.

I had some reservations when he said he wanted to wear the traditional white shirt and white pants with a red sash instead of a tux, but that thought quickly diminished when I saw him. It would have been nice to see him in a tux, but he looked relaxed and happy. If he had worn a tux, maybe the outfit itself in this heat would have made him look nervous and uncomfortable. I didn't totally give up on seeing Edward in a tux though. Esme also wanted to see her boys in a tux as well so we were able to convince the men to change into a tux for the reception.

The yellow plumeria flower circle matched my yellow plumeria, white rose, and yellow calla lily round bouquet. All the yellows, whites, and greens matched well with the green grass, the ocean, and the clear blue sky. The whole environment was welcoming, happy, and I felt excitement and joy emanating from everyone.

I looked at Esme and she smiled at me, Rosalie gave me thumbs up, Alice winked, and Emmett blew me a kiss. My eyes searched for Jasper. He wasn't standing beside Emmett. Then I found him standing in front of a microphone stand by the musicians. The conch was blown three times. Two short blows and one long were blown to request for the Divine presence and to signify that I arrived. Kitty scattered the plumeria petals onto the aisle as she walked down the aisle ahead of Carlisle and I. Once she was down the aisle, Alice reached out for her and she stood beside her.

When Carlisle and I reached the floral aisle runner, the musicians started playing and Jasper started to sing.

_Here we are_

_In this holy place together_

_Bearing witness as the two of you become man & wife_

_On this day_

_As you join in heart and spirit_

_You begin another chapter in the book of life_

_Love…_

_Is the circle that surrounds you_

_You can find it on the faces of your family & friends_

_Love…_

_Let it wrap its arms around you_

_And guide you on your journey down the road that never ends_

_There's a song in your heart_

_You can hear it if you listen_

_As it whispers through the branches high above the family tree_

_And there's time_

_Lays it's melody upon you_

_You can rest assured in knowing that you're right where you should be_

_Love…_

_Is the circle that surrounds you_

_You can find it on the faces of your family & friends_

_Love…_

_Let it wrap its arms around you_

_And guide you on your journey down the road that never ends_

"The road that never ends." It was one of the songs by Keali'i Reichel that were on one of the Hawaiian music albums Edward purchased before we came here. I had no idea that Jasper was the one who was going to sing this. Edward chose all the songs to be played during the ceremony and the reception so that he could surprise me.

It had been a while since I heard Jasper sing solo. It reminded me of the days when Alice and I were still in Forks and Jasper visited us on weekends. When we got halfway down the floral aisle runner, a gentle breeze swept through and stirred the petals. It reminded me of something that the Kahu (minister) told us earlier this morning during the rehearsal. He had mentioned that the wind signifies the blessing presence of the loved ones who had passed on. I felt like my Mom, Dad, and Stephen were here to give me their blessings. Kahu Kahawaii followed with an oli (Hawaiian chant) and Carlisle kissed me on my cheek and gave me away to Edward.

"Congratulations Edward and Bella, on your marriage. It's an honor for us to be here to witness your love for each other and to celebrate your marriage," Kahu Kahawaii said to us. To make things easier on us he spoke in English instead of having everything said in the Hawaiian language. "In a Hawaiian wedding we start the exchange of leis. Leis are made of flowers connected to form a circle like the rings that will be exchanged later. The leis represent eternal love, commitment, and devotion for one another. The individual flowers in the lei do not lose their beauty when combined together, but instead enhances all their beautiful qualities. It is the same for the two of you in marriage. You won't lose yourself. By supporting and loving each other, you two will grow as a couple. Together you will be stronger, and become better as individuals and as a couple."

Kahu received the double white orchid lei that matched my white orchid and yellow plumeria Haku (head) lei from Jasper. "Edward, please place this lei around Bella and give her a kiss on her cheek." Edward smiled and widened the lei to make it easier to place it around my neck. Once the lei was around my neck he gave me a kiss on my cheek.

Kahu received the Maile lei with white orchids from Rosalie. "Bella, please place this lei around Edward's neck with a kiss on his cheek."

Edward lowered his head for me so that I could drape the Maile lei around his neck easier. I heard giggles from Rosalie and Alice as I struggled to place the lei around his neck because of my baby bump. After I finished draping the Maile lei around his neck, I gave me a peck on his cheek.

"The Hawaiians have a deep understanding that there are special places and time. I believe that you two have been guided to choose this special day and place. At the end of the service I will use the lava rock and Ti leaf to perform a Hawaiian blessing to commemorate this special moment. Look around you. There are beautiful mountains, the ocean and the land that we stand on. People only see the surface of the land and not what is underneath. Only you two will witness the depth of the love you two have for each other. You two will face a lot of difficulties and challenges, but if you two draw within from the depth of your love for each other, anything can be overcome. The ocean is deep and full of life. Some species become extinct while others adapt and evolve. The same can be said about the two of you. You two will face hardships that you have to conquer together. You two will need to draw from deep within your inner strength, but when you do you will grow and become stronger as a couple. Hawaiians call this force within you, the Mana. Geologically in some parts of the world the size of their country is decreasing and some increasing. Here in Hawaii, The Big Island is growing due to the three active volcanoes, the Mauna Loa, Kilauea, and Loihi. To grow like the Big Island, you two need to work together to learn more about each other, and help each other to accomplish dreams, goals, and expand as a family." Kahu said and looked at my belly and smiled. Then the time came for us to exchange our vows.

"I, Edward Anthony, take you, Isabella Marie, to be my beloved wife, the mother of my children, my lover, and my best friend. You brought light into my world and helped me become who I am today. I want to be the best I can be for you and promise you that I will always be beside you through the good and the bad. I will love you, cherish you, and strive to make you feel how special you are to me. When you are sick, I will nurse you back to health, when you are sad I will be there to hold your hand and be there for you to lean on, I will strive to always be there to keep you safe and protect you from all the harm that comes your way. I promise to make you and our children my number one priority in life. With every beat of my heart and till the end of my existence I solemnly vow my love for you." Edward said and I saw tears brimming in his eyes.

"I, Isabella Marie, take you, Edward Anthony, to be my beloved husband, the father of my children, my confidant, my protector, my best friend, my lover, and my soul mate. You gave me hope in life that I never thought I'd ever have again. You have always been there for me when no one would have blamed you even if you walked away. I want you to know that I will always be by your side. I want to spend the rest of my life and promise to give you my all. I'm far from perfect, but I will strive to be the best I can be for you and our family. I vow to honor, cherish, and support you throughout our time together. I will laugh with you, cry with you, and face the good and the bad together beside you. I give you my love, my heart, and all that I am from this day on till the end of our existence."

"May I have the rings please," Kahu said and looked at Emmett. Emmett stuck his hand in his pants pocket and went pale. He pulled the lining of his pants pocket out and started to hyperventilate. Emmett looked towards Rosalie and I heard Rosalie gasp. I looked at Edward and saw panic in his eyes. I heard Kitty giggle as she watched Emmett scratch his head and shake his pant legs. I saw Jasper whisper something into Emmett's ear. Emmett's expression changed like a light bulb went on in his head. He touched the pocket on his shirt and smiled. He stuck his fingers in the pocket and pulled the rings out. I heard Edward's sigh of relief and Alice burst out laughing. Edward glared at Alice and Rosalie slapped her behind her head. Alice quickly looked down and pursed her lips to stop herself from laughing but her body still shook. Emmett looked at me apologetically. I smiled and winked at him.

This is what I loved about my family. We weren't perfect, but we always had something we could laugh about. I was sure no one was going to ever forget this moment and that for years someone would bring up that Emmett had almost lost the rings.

Kahu smiled and told us to proceed with the exchange of the rings. He handed the koa wood bowl to Edward. Kahu dipped a Ti leaf into the bowl and sprinkled the water from the bowl onto the rings.

"Koa is the hardest wood in Hawaii. Koa wood has been used to build canoes, tools, and utensils. It represents the strength in your marriage. Ti leaf represents prosperity, health, and blessing of mind, spirit, and body. The water signifies washing away the negativity in your relationship. In Hawaii, this is called Ho' oponopono. It marks the new beginning of your relationship."

After we exchanged our rings, Alice told Kitty to go and stand in front of me and face Edward. Edward got down on his knees and smiled at Kitty after he received the third ring that Kahu blessed for us.

"Princess, with this ring, I promise to love, nurture, and protect you as my daughter. I vow to help you fulfill all your dreams and watch you grow up into a beautiful woman like your Mommy and be the best Daddy I can be for you. I love you Kathryn," Edward said and kissed Kitty and slipped the ring we had bought for Kitty onto her finger. We purchased a ring for her before we came here and had the Hawaiian word, "Kamali'i Wahine", meaning "Princess" engraved on it. Kitty looked really happy and hugged both Edward and I.

Then Edward came closer to me and kissed my belly. "Matthew, I promise to love, nurture, and protect you as my son. I vow to help and guide you to become the best you can be and make us all proud of you. I promise to be the best Daddy I can be for you and help you fulfill all your dreams. I love you Matthew and I can't wait to see you," Edward said and kissed my belly again.

Kahu smiled and showed us the lava rock and the Ti leaf. "I take this lava rock and the Ti leaf to perform the final blessing. The Ti leaf represents prosperity, health, and blessing of body, mind and spirit. The rock represents this moment and place of your wedding made sacred by your vows. The lava rock wrapped in the Ti leaf is an offering, prayer, and blessing to be left on this island. Your rings will be with you everywhere you go as a reminder of your marriage and love. May the joy of your many years together exceed even your greatest expectation."

"It was an honor to witness and bless your love, aloha, and the love between your 'ohana (family). By the powers vested in me by the State of Hawaii I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss." Edward pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me and kissed me gently. "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen," Kahu said and I heard everyone clap as they moved towards us and hugged both Edward and I.

Rose handed me the Ti leaf leis I had gotten for Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper. Jasper handed the single stranded orchid leis Edward got for Esme, Rosalie, Alice, and Kitty. We placed the leis on them and thanked Kahu for the beautiful ceremony he performed for us.

Edward POV

I was so elated. I felt like shouting to the world that Bella was mine and that she was my wife. She looked so exquisite. She was always beautiful, but today the word beautiful was not enough to describe how she looked. As soon as we were done with the pictures, we went back to our rooms to get changed. Emmett groaned that he didn't want to change into the tux since the Aloha shirts and pants were so comfortable, but quickly shut up after earning death glares from Mom, Alice, and Rosalie.

I wanted Bella back at the suite as soon as possible so that she could cool off in an air conditioned room and rehydrate. She had to be quite worn out from the sun. The weather was beautiful, but towards the end of the ceremony it had gotten quite hot outside and I was worried about her. As soon as we were in the suite I got her a pitcher of ice water and a glass for Bella. We didn't have too much time so I quickly dressed into the tux and Bella helped me pin the boutonniere onto my tux.

Bella and I got into our limousine and the rest followed us in a separate limousine to the reception site. Our wedding party was just our family and we couldn't find a location to have an intimate reception since our party was so small, so Bella and I rented the Bayer Estate. The Bayer Estate was located in Aina Haina, which was only a short drive from Kahala. It was built in 1936 and carefully restored over the years. In 1997 it was placed on the Hawaii Register of historic places. At first we considered having the wedding ceremony at the Bayer Estate as well, but we wanted a place that we could return to celebrate our anniversary and spend several nights, so we chose Kahala Resort & Hotel for the ceremony and the hotel room because the estate was only rented out during the day, and there was no guarantee that the Bayer Estate would be available too book during our anniversary next time we came back to Hawaii.

We left all the reception details to Alice. Alice was elated she had total control over the decorations, florists, food, and the wedding cake. From what we saw from the website of the Bayer Estate, the place was exquisite in itself so we didn't care what Alice did with the details.

Our videographer and our photographers were already at the estate when we arrived. They wanted to shoot all of us from the time we got out of our limo. The front wooden gate of the estate was even more charming than what we saw on the website. We had Kitty open the gate for us, and just like the wedding, we let kitty scatter floral petals as she walked towards front door of the estate while Bella and I followed behind her.

Mom and Rose oohed and aahed over everything they saw. I perfectly understood their sentiment. This place was breathtaking. Only Alice, Jasper, Bella, and I knew about this place. We didn't tell the others where we were having the reception. We were very fortunate that we were able to rent the place from morning till the evening. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that we got married on a Wednesday. Money wasn't an issue to Bella and me so when Alice suggested that we rent the whole place for the full day from 9:30 to 6:00 p.m., we had no problem with it. We weren't here in the morning, but by renting the place from the morning, it helped the vendors take care of the details without any rush. The ladies went to the Bridal room to freshen up and Dad, Emmett, and I went to the parlor to just kick back and relax until the ladies were ready.

"Bro, so how does it feel to be a married man?" Emmett asked.

"Thrilled and relieved."

"Relieved?" Jasper asked with a confused look. "Shouldn't you feel like you have a lot of responsibilities on your shoulders now?"

"I understand that I now have a family to be responsible for, but I already felt that way before this day. I don't want to sound like a caveman, but I feel relieved that Bella, Kitty, and Matthew are mine now. No one can take them away from me now. I'm going to start the process to adopt Kitty as soon as we are back in LA."

"Well, I just want you to know that I'm proud of you, Bro. The thought that you'd get married before me never crossed my mind until recently. I guess it all had to do with meeting 'the one'," Emmett said and patted me on my shoulder.

"Thanks."

While we just sat around and enjoyed some wine, the ladies came down the stairs. We all went out to the lawn to have our pictures taken. Once we were done taking the pictures in the yard and on the beach, the photographers wanted us in the garden to take pictures of Bella and me. After they were done with us, we brought Kitty out and had pictures taken of us three together in the garden. After all the pictures needed to be taken outside were done while the sun was out, we headed to our table to start the reception.

Once we sat down, our first course was served. It was lobster vichyssoise with caviar and whipped cream. When Kitty touched the plate she gasped.

"Daddy, my soup is cold, really cold!"

"Kitty, this soup is supposed to be cold. Try it. It's really good." Kitty put a spoonful into her mouth and scrunched her face.

"I like hot soup better," Kitty said and we all laughed.

Then after the soup, we had prosciutto with melons and pineapple and Kitty narrowed her eyes.

"Daddy, why is there fruit with the ham?"

"See, the ham is a little salty and the melon takes the salty taste away and makes the ham taste milder. It's really yummy," I explained to Kitty. After Kitty took a bite she scrunched her nose and frowned.

"Kitty, you can leave the ham and just eat the melons and the pineapple," Bella said to Kitty and she nodded in relief.

Then the macadamia crusted mahi mahi with avocado and mango salsa with potato pancakes was served.

"Alice, when are the steak and potatoes coming? I'm tired of this pansy food. Couldn't they make it without the fruit?" Emmett asked Alice and Rose kicked Em under the table.

"Shut up, Em. This is a wedding. The food is supposed to be elegant. You can have your steak and potatoes for dinner tonight," Rose said and glared at him.

Alice sighed and shook her head. "Don't worry, Emmett. Next is Filet Mignon,"

"Awesome," Emmett said and pumped his fist. Mom sent daggers with her eyes at him and Dad cleared his throat.

"Behave, this is all being taped," I overheard Rose whisper to Emmett.

Kitty looked really happy when the Filet Mignon with truffle sauce came, but when she saw the white and green asparagus spears she pouted.

"You can give the asparagus to me," I whispered to Kitty and she beamed at me. Bella raised one of her brows at me and I stuck my tongue out at her.

After we finished our lunch, we went out to the garden to wait until the cake table was prepared and the musicians were set up in the backyard facing the beach. Rosalie took Bella back upstairs to touch up her makeup and the rest of us just stood around and chatted.

I noticed that Kitty and Emmett were missing. I called out to Kitty as I went around the rooms in search for her. Alice got worried and joined me in search for Kitty. After the incident at Big Bear Lake we were all very nervous every time Kitty weren't in our sight. When we went to the backyard to see if they were already there Alice gasped. Emmett and Kitty were playing with the plumerias on the wedding cake.

"Emmett! Kitty! Take your hands off the cake" Alice shrieked.

Alice's yelling freaked Emmett and Kitty. Kitty lost her balance and her face plunged into the cake and Emmett's fist fell onto the cake. Alice's yelling brought everyone outside. Rosalie's jaw dropped from shock when she saw what Emmett had done, Mom covered her face with her hands from shame, Jasper immediately went to hug Alice, and Dad jumped towards Kitty to make sure she wasn't suffocating. My immediate concern was Bella and when I looked at her I was instantly relieved. I had imagined she would be in tears. She was in tears, but she was in tears because she was laughing too hard.

Bella took my hand and we walked towards the cake table. Bella used her fingers and grabbed a chunk of cake and brought it to my mouth smiling. I put my mouth on her fingers and ate the cake. I copied Bella and took a chunk off the cake with my fingers and fed Bella.

Alice was in tears. "The cake is ruined. What am I going to do? Did you take pictures of the cake?" I heard Alice ask Jasper.

"Don't worry, darlin'. I have plenty of pictures of the cake and so do the videographer and the other photographers," Jasper assured Alice.

Our cake was destroyed, but Bella seemed to be having the time of her life. "This is the best wedding ever!" Bella said and laughed. "You have pictures of my daughter and Emmett with the cake on them right?" Bella asked the photographers and they nodded trying to hold themselves from laughing.

Her laughter broke the tension and everyone seemed relaxed again. Mom and Dad returned with Kitty cleaned up. Her hair was wet so I assumed they had to wash the cake out of her hair.

I went to Alice and gave her a hug. I assured her that everything was all right. Bella seemed to be happy and that was all that mattered to me. Alice sighed but nodded. Rosalie was able to salvage enough pieces to go around to everyone. Emmett and Rosalie profusely apologized to Bella and me. Bella told them not to worry. She assured them what happened wasn't a problem at all and that this was going to be a wonderful memory to cherish.

After we finished eating the cake we all sat in the yard and listened to the musicians play while we watched the sunset together. Bella, Kitty and I went to sit on the sand facing the ocean. Nothing compared to having my wife and daughter in my arms.

* * *

**A/N**

Did you like the chapter? I worked extremely hard on this chapter researching all the details on the traditional Hawaiian wedding. There were so many variations of it so I picked and chose what I liked and put it together to fit with what I wanted for Bella and Edward's wedding ceremony. The order of exchange of leis, rings etc. were varied in many of the weddings I saw of the Hawaiian weddings so if you have been to a Hawaiian wedding, please forgive me if the order is different from what you are accustomed to. I did the best I could with the information I had.

All the outfits, bouquet, leis, locations, song Bella walked down the aisle in, songs that played during the reception etc. are on my profile under Chapter 39.

Please, please, leave me a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.

Credits:

My 12 years of Christian school education did not help me to write the words by the Kahu during Edward and Bella's wedding ceremony so the information on Hawaii and parts of the words spoken by the Kahu is from Reverend Dard Aller's website, beachweddingshawaii under Christian ceremony with Hawaiian elements.


	40. Chapter 40

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

Information in regards to Geoffrey's Malibu is taken from Geoffrey's Malibu website.

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 40 The World Part 3**

**BPOV**

Weeks passed in a blur since we returned from our honeymoon. Today we were hosting Esme and Carlisle's wedding anniversary at Geoffrey's Malibu. We had over 100 guests attending. Even some guests were coming in from Forks. Geoffrey's Malibu was a beautiful classic restaurant. It was built on the site formerly known as the Holiday House, a resort for the stars for decades, including Frank Sinatra, Shirley MacLaine, Lana Turner, John F. Kennedy, and Marilynn Monroe. In 1983, it was reborn as Geoffrey's Malibu under Harvey Baskin, and redesigned to captivate the natural beauty, so that every seat had the panoramic view of the ocean.

When I woke up this morning, I felt a little pressure in my lower back, but as I showered, I also felt some pressure in my uterus as well. I had a feeling that maybe Matthew was going to grace his presence to us today. I was thrilled that I could finally be done with carrying the extra weight, but today was not the day I wanted him born. I didn't want him born on Esme and Carlisle's wedding anniversary. They typically spent their anniversary in Italy, which meant that if Matthew was born today, knowing Esme, they would no longer go on their trip, so that they could be around for Matthew's birthday. I wanted to avoid that, but there wasn't anything I could do. I didn't think I could talk him into staying in my womb for several more days.

I hoped I could make it through the day. The event was from noon until 4 p.m. Even if my contractions started, I assumed I would have plenty of time to make it to the hospital before it was too late to get an epidural. Worst case scenario, I could just get a shot of Nubain to take the edge off.

I didn't want to tell Edward. He would put me first, and opt not to attend the event at all. I wanted him to be there with his family, to celebrate Esme and Carlisle's wedding anniversary, even if I couldn't be there. In times like this, there was one person I could count on, who would support me without question. I picked up the phone, and called Rosalie.

"Good morning, Rose."

"Hey, Bella, to what do I owe this honor of receiving a call from you at this ungodly hour ?"

"Sorry, Rose. It couldn't wait. I hope I didn't cut your beauty sleep short."

"I was just kidding. I needed to get up early to get my nails done at the salon anyway. What can I do for ya?"

"I have a feeling that I'm gonna go into labor today."

"You think??? Don't people just go into labor without having any prior warning? Isn't that how it works?"

"I don't know. I just have this feeling. I have pressure in my lower back and in my uterus. I have a vague memory that I felt something like this the day I had Kitty too."

"Well, okay. How can I assist? Shouldn't we involve Alice?"

"NOOOOO. No Alice. I don't want her screaming at others like the time I went into labor with Kitty."

"What? What happened? How come it's the first I've heard of this?"

"I assume it's because Alice doesn't want to talk about it. She was really embarrassed. She got kicked out of the room by Carlisle."

"You've lost me."

"Kitty came early. No one was prepared. I was distraught over losing my Dad, and I didn't recognize the pain as contractions at first. People were busy taking care of packing up his things and closing up the house, so I didn't want to bother anyone. By the time I asked for help, I was dilated more than 7 centimeters, and I was in excruciating pain. Alice and Stephen were in the hospital room with me, and they were shouting at the nurses to do something for my pain, and to get the baby out. You know how Alice is. She wants to be prepared for everything. She didn't know what to do, and felt helpless. The nurses refused to come into my room, because of Alice, so Carlisle kicked both Alice and Stephen out of the room until they calmed down. Esme had to bribe the nurses with cupcakes and other goodies to have them return to the room to assist Carlisle. It was horrible." Rosalie laughed so hard and loud that the ear I held the phone to hurt.

"Understood. We won't involve Alice then. Plus she's probably going to be really busy coordinating the event anyway. So, what do I need to do?"

"I'll call Carmen, and alert her. She's going to be at the party anyway. We have a private room reserved for the family, so I can have Carmen check on me in there, once the contractions start coming regularly."

"You're a brave one, Bella. You could just skip the event, you know. I'm sure Esme and Carlisle would understand."

"I know they would understand, but I just don't want to take anything away from them. It's their day. I'm going to try my best to stay there until the party is over, but if I can't, could you drive me to the hospital?"

"You don't need to ask. Of course I'll drive you to the hospital. You're at least telling Edward, right?"

"Nope. If he knew he wouldn't let me go to the event, and he wouldn't go either."

"Oh, yeah. I guess. I'm sure Emmett wouldn't let me either, if I was the one in labor."

"Well, I'll see you later. I need to go and make some breakfast for the soon to be the proud Daddy to Matthew and his big sister."

"I'll give you a call after I'm back from the nail salon."

"Thanks, Rose. See you later."

It would probably be weeks until I'd feel up to making a nice breakfast for Edward and Kitty after Matthew was born, so I prepared Kitty's favorite dishes. Chicken and Waffles with gravy, and whipped cream fruit salad. After I set the table, I went to wake Edward up first.

"Wakey wakey," I said, as I stood beside him by the bed. It was a lot of work for me to get on and off the bed, because of my whale like belly, so I decided to just stand by the bed.

Edward yawned and stretched his arms out. He tried to pull me onto the bed, but I refused. He gave me his puppy eyes and begged, but I still resisted.

"I made a scrumptious breakfast for you two. I'll see you in the dining room. I'm going to go and wake Kitty up now."

"That's so sweet of you, Bella. Thank you. You know you didn't have to do all that for us. We could've just had some cereal. There'll be a lot of food at Mom and Dad's anniversary party."

"I know, but I wanted to do something special for the two people I love the most." I kissed Edward's nose, and left the bedroom, to go and wake Kitty up.

"Itty-bitty-pretty-witty-Kitty, time to wake up!" I teased Kitty and kissed her forehead after I brushed her hair away from her face.

Kitty yawned, and stretched her arms and her legs. "I'm sleepy," she said and rubbed her eyes.

"I made you your favorite breakfast! Chicken and Waffles with gravy, and whipped cream fruit salad. Are you sure you don't want to wake up?" I tickled her. As soon as she was awake enough to understand what I said, her eyes twinkled.

"Kitty, I want to talk to you about something. I think you're going to be a sister very soon. I want you to know that I love you very much, and just because we're having a baby doesn't mean we love you any less. Do you understand that?" Kitty nodded.

"Matthew can't do anything by himself, so Daddy and I are going to need to spend a lot of time with him. Do you think you could help Daddy and I take care of him? Matthew needs you very much." Kitty smiled and nodded. Her whole world would change the minute he was born. She was always the center of attention, but once Matthew was born, others would pay more attention to him for a while, since he would be their cuddly new toy. Kitty would most probably feel jealous and left out. Edward and I need to make sure that Kitty understood she was just as precious as Matthew. I was an only child, so I never had to experience what Kitty would go through. I needed to rely on Edward in this area.

By the time we made it to the table, Edward already poured himself a cup of coffee. I loved the time we spent together on weekend mornings. Kitty typically tried to read the paper with Edward. She asked him a lot of questions, but Edward never lost his patience even when the questions were silly. Edward took the difficulties of being a parent all in his stride. I was quite amazed. Ever since we came back from Hawaii, he was no longer passive in parenting.

Today was most probably going to be the last day for us to relax and enjoy breakfast in peace. We wouldn't have the luxury to enjoy this kind of moment after I came back from the hospital with Matthew.

After breakfast I helped Kitty into her new baby pink dress from Alice's Spring/Summer Collection. It was a sleeveless dress with a pleated skirt. The top area was covered with bows. Thankfully Alice designed a matching cardigan as well, so I didn't have to worry if it got chilly later in the day.

Rose called to tell me that she was now on her way here. I still needed to finish packing my bag to take to the hospital. I told Edward to go ahead to the party with Kitty. I made an excuse to him that Rose was helping me with my hair, and that she'd take me to the restaurant. Edward was fine with that. He wanted to get to the event early to help Alice out anyway, to attend to guests who arrived early.

Rose arrived while Edward was still getting dressed. She fixed his tie as it was a little crooked. It was something I couldn't do easily with my stomach in the way. As soon as Edward left with Kitty, Rose helped me finish packing my bag. I wanted to have the bag with me in case I needed to go to the hospital straight from the restaurant.

"How are you feeling?" Rose asked and gave me a hug.

"Well, I can tell you that I'm not experiencing Braxton Hicks. I'm positive they are contractions."

"Does that mean we should expect Matthew today?"

"Probably tonight or early tomorrow morning. The contractions are still more than ten minutes apart."

"I don't have a clue what that means, but I'll take your word for it. Well, shall we head to the restaurant? Are you sure you want to go through with this? I don't mind skipping the event with you."

"Oh, come on, Rose. We have to go show you off. You even got your nails done so pretty!"

"Bella, people are not there just to see Esme and Carlisle. They want to see the new daughter-in-law as well." That completely slipped my mind. Of course they wanted to see me. I wondered if I could plaster a smile on my face throughout the event with the contractions coming every few minutes.

**EPOV**

I didn't expect so many guests to arrive early. Even Eleazar and Carmen were here already. They typically came late and left early.

"Hello, Edward and Kitty. You both look mighty fine today. Where's your lovely wife?" Carmen asked.

"She should be here soon. Rose and she were doing the girlie thing." Carmen laughed.

"Well, you must be really thrilled you finally get to hold your son in your arms."

"Yeah. Just two more weeks if there are no delays," I smiled and said to Carmen. She raised her brow and looked confused. Eleazar was about to say something, but Carmen interrupted him, and took him to the bar. I wondered what that was all about. Did Carmen know something I didn't? Did she know that the baby was coming earlier or later than the due date? Before I could go after them to ask, I was interrupted by certain guests I had no knowledge they were invited.

"Hello, Edward. It's so good to see you. Congratulations! I heard you got married to Bella Swan. I'm sure Charlie would've been proud to have you as his son." Mr. Stanley said to me. Beside him were Mrs. Stanley and Jessica. "Please excuse us for bringing Jessica along. I told her that we were flying here for your mother and father's anniversary event and she begged us to bring her."

I felt like telling him that it bothered me, but I resisted the urge. I smiled courteously, and told him that it was a pleasure to have her join us celebrate Dad and Mom's anniversary. Mr. and Mrs. Stanley excused themselves to get a drink from the bar while Jessica stayed.

"How was your wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii? We had such a great time there, didn't we? I was surprised you had your honeymoon somewhere we've been together before," Jessica said and beamed at me. I couldn't believe how ignorant she was. She didn't even remember that we barely spent any time together there. She may have had a great time there, but I surely didn't.

"It's different when you're there with the people you love. I had such a wonderful time."

"Oh," was all Jessica said with a scowl on her face. I wasn't sure if she would catch on to my subtle sarcasm, but since she scowled, she wasn't as dunce as I thought she was.

"Where's your man?" Hah! Take that, bitch! I knew her too well. If she were still together with him, she would've strung him along today.

"He's old news," she said as if it was no big deal to her, but I could tell with the look in her eyes that it was a sore spot for her.

"I hope you find someone new soon. I can't imagine myself unmarried and without children. I'm just so happy. I hope you get to experience it soon." There! That hurt didn't it? You deserved that, Jessica. I felt petty, but I had to rub that in her face. I waited for her comeback. As I expected, the comeback was so Jessica and extremely heartless.

"How does it feel to be a father of two children who aren't even yours? Is the baby Bella's having going to be even normal? Her late husband went through chemo right? Isn't the baby going to be deformed or something?"

I was so glad that Bella and my family weren't here to witness what Jessica said. If Alice heard her, I can only assume the worst. Alice would've kicked the living daylights out of her, and ripped a new one. If Emmett heard her, he would've definitely tossed her into the ocean.

"Thank you very much for your concern, Jessica. I'm a doctor. My father is a doctor. She's had tests and Matthew is fine. Even if he wasn't, we would all love him just the same. I hope you don't have that kind of attitude to your own if your baby ends up with disabilities," I said to her calmly. I didn't want her to think that she ruffled my feathers. Jessica huffed and left to join her parents. I quickly ran towards Alice to ask what she was thinking when she invited the Stanleys.

"Alice! Why the fuck did you invite Jessica's parents? They even brought their spawn of evil." Alice gasped.

"What? They brought Jessi-can'tkeep-my-legs-closed with them? Oh, I'm so sorry, Edward. Mrs. Stanley called Mom and asked if they could come. Mrs. Stanley heard from Mrs. Newton that they were invited to attend and felt left out. Mom didn't want any bad feelings between them, so we sent an invitation to the Stanleys. We had no idea they were bringing Jessica."

"Well, in all fairness, Mr. Stanley apologized for bringing Jessica. At least he has some manners unlike their spawn. Just keep her away from Bella. I don't want to stress Bella out."

"Okay, I'll alert Emmett and Jasper to keep an eye on Jessica. Again, I'm so sorry, Edward," Alice said and rubbed my arm.

"It's not your fault. Anyhow, have you seen Bella and Rose yet?"

"Oh, they arrived a little while ago, and are in the ladies room freshening up. If I see Bella I'll let her know that you were looking for her. Anyway, where's Kitty? Please don't tell me she's with Emmett." Oops. I left her with Emmett. I certainly hoped they weren't playing with the cake this time. Alice caught on before I even answered her. She gasped and spoke into her wireless walkie talkie, warning Emmett that he and Kitty better not be hanging around the cake. As I ran after Alice, I almost ran into the gentleman in a wheel chair.

"Slow down, Edward," the man said and laughed. It was Billy Black. I didn't have him on the list of guests either.

"Hello, Billy. It's so nice to have you here." Billy laughed. I tried not to look so surprised.

"It's okay, Edward. I know you didn't know I was going to be here. We're a surprise for Bella. Esme contacted us. Sue and Jacob went to get some drinks. How is Bella?" I wasn't sure how comfortable I was going to be with Jacob here. I knew Bella smoothed things out with him, and he apologized to her for acting the way he did during Thanksgiving, but I still felt uneasy.

"She's great. The baby is due very soon. I'll go and find her for you." I smiled and left to resume my search for Bella.

My brows furrowed when I found Bella by the bar talking to none other than Jacob. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, and was rubbing her belly. When Jacob noticed me approaching them, he quickly took his hands off her belly.

"Hello, Edward. Congratulations," Jacob said and stuck his hand out to shake my hand. I shook his hand, and plastered a fake smile on my face.

"Hello, Jacob. It's so nice to have you all join us. I just met your father. Oh, and Bella, Billy wants to see you. He's out by the patio." Bella kissed me and left to go and greet Billy.

"Edward, I wanted to apologize for how I acted during Thanksgiving. It was very immature of me to say what I said without having all the information. I hurt you and Bella very much, and I'm deeply sorry." I was surprised with his apology. He looked very sincere and sounded like he really meant what he said.

"Water under the bridge," I said and squeezed his shoulder.

"I'm really happy for you and Bella. You are good for her. She looks very happy. Happier than I've ever seen in all the time I've known her."

"Thank you. She's the best that's ever happened in my life. She makes me a happy man. She's given me Kitty and Matthew very soon," I said and couldn't stop the stupid grin on my face.

"There are a lot of people from Forks here today, even the Newtons are here," Jacob said furrowing his brows.

"Yeah. Unfortunately there is one particular guest I want to keep away from Bella. You think you can help me out with that?" I didn't want to ask for his help, but he genuinely cared about Bella, so he was the best person to protect her, while I was busy with the guests.

"Who?"

"Jessica Stanley."

"Damn. She's here? I never liked her. I feel sorry for whoever she's with now. I don't understand what anyone sees in her. Sex gets old, so there must be something else, or she's good at finding idiots with a savior complex." Jacob gasped and covered his mouth after he realized that I was engaged to her once. "Damn. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"No worries. Even I question myself why I was with her, and to this day I still don't have the answer," I said and laughed.

After several more minutes of catching up with Jacob we decided to go and join Billy, Sue, and Bella. Sue gave me a hug as soon as she saw me, but Alice came and pulled me away from them before I even got to chat with Sue.

"Alice! I was trying to catch up with Sue."

"It's an emergency! Emmett and Kitty's tongue are stuck on the ice sculpture by the entrance."

"Say that again?" I had to ask Alice to repeat what she said. There was no way I heard her correctly.

"I said 'Dumb and Dumber's tongues are stuck on the fuckin' ice sculpture!!!', and I need you to get their tongues off without ruining the sculpture, and quickly, so that we don't embarrass ourselves to the guests!" Alice shrieked.

I glared at Alice. "Don't call my daughter Dumb!"

I could understand that happening to Kitty since little children were curious, but Emmett? He couldn't be that stupid could he? I shook my head in disgust and followed Alice to the entrance hall.

When we got there, Carmen had Kitty in her arms. She told me that she checked Kitty out and she was fine. Kitty was crying, but I assumed it was just from the shock. Eleazar was still working on Emmett. Eleazar's body shook from trying to hold his laugh in.

I went to Eleazar and tapped his shoulder. "You can laugh," I said and Eleazar bellowed. There were some spectators, but thankfully Jessica wasn't one of them. I pulled my phone out and snapped a picture of Emmett's tongue stuck on the ice sculpture. I smirked at Emmett, and sent the picture to Rose. I left Alice to take care of the situation and took Kitty from Carmen.

"Now you know you should never do that, right? It's very dangerous. The ice sculpture could have fallen on your head. You could've been seriously hurt. Don't ever do it again, promise?"

"Yes."

"Okay, let's go and find Mommy." I said and went to find Bella with Kitty. I probably let her off the hook too easily, but I was sure she learned her lesson, and this really wasn't the best time or place to lecture her.

By the time we located Bella, it was time for lunch to be served, so we all got seated at the family table. Rose looked pissed and wouldn't even look at Emmett. Emmett sent daggers with his eyes at me. He deserved the wrath of Rosalie though. Kitty could've been seriously injured. I was angry at Emmett, but I didn't want my mood to ruin my parents' anniversary, so I let it go.

The food looked fabulous. Mom and Alice did an excellent job selecting the menu. The first course was baked brie with pear chutney and roasted pine nuts in puffed pastry. Then the next course was lobster and scallops with mango habanero chili sauce with taco shells. The main course were Scallops with Foie Gras risotto first, and then the slow braised Wagyu Kobe beef with mashed potatoes and rotkraut dumplings. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food very much except Bella. She told me that the food was great, but she wasn't very hungry, because of the large breakfast she had this morning. I was a little worried. Even when she ate a large breakfast, Bella didn't have any problem eating a huge lunch these days. My worries escalated when I saw her wince, and rub her lower back. Her forehead even glistened with sweat when the room wasn't even warm at all.

"Bella? Are you all right?" She couldn't reply. She had her eyes closed and looked like she was in pain. As I was about to stand she grabbed my arms, and forced me back into my seat.

"I'm fine. They're just contractions."

"What?" I squealed like a girl. My voice was an octave higher. It wasn't just my imagination that I thought I sounded like a girl, because I saw Emmett point at me, and heard his bellowing laugh.

"Calm down. We'll ruin Esme and Carlisle's day." Bella begged.

"Don't tell me to calm down. You're in labor!"

"I'm fine. The contractions are still only seven minutes apart. I should be fine at least until the party is over. Carmen knows. The hospital is ready for me." I was pissed at her. She arranged everything without even telling me.

"Bella, we should go to the hospital now."

"Edward, you should know that I'm no way near having Matthew yet. I know you assisted delivering babies when you were an intern, so you know I have hours to go."

"Come on, Bella. At the least we should have Carmen check you out."

"Okay, okay. I'll have Carmen check me out as soon as lunch is over. We still have desserts coming." I wasn't happy that she insisted on waiting until the desserts were served, but I couldn't just pick her off her chair, and storm out of here without interrupting everyone. Before the desserts were served, I slipped away from my seat, and went to talk to Carmen.

"Excuse me, could I talk to you for a moment?" I asked Carmen as I squatted beside her chair.

"Oooh. You know now. How far between is she now?" Carmen smiled and asked.

"Around seven minutes. She seems to be in pain though. Do you think you can check on her after the desserts?"

"Relax, Edward. There are over fifty doctors here," Eleazar said and chuckled.

I went back to my seat feeling defeated. I knew I was overreacting, but this was personal. I wasn't a doctor at this moment. I was acting the way any normal father would. I was relieved to see that the desserts were served. There was a plate of crème brulee served on top of chocolate mousse at my seat.

"Just sit down and enjoy your dessert. I can't have it so Emmett's having mine." Bella said and pouted.

"Does he know? Does anyone else know?" I felt left out.

"Only Rose and Carmen."

"Rose knew from morning? The hair thing was an excuse wasn't it? Why did she need to pick you up though?"

"Hospital bag."

"Ah. Well I'm too nervous to eat now. Dumber can have mine too."

"Dumber?" Bella looked confused.

"Inside joke. I'll explain it to you later," I had no intention of upsetting Bella now that I knew of her condition. I wasn't going to add any extra stress on her since Kitty was fine. "Why don't I escort you to the private room, and you can wait for Carmen there?" Bella frowned, but nodded.

It looked like she wanted to lie down. I was glad that Alice rented a couch for us to relax in the private room. When I looked back I noticed Carmen following us from behind. She must have been watching us, and realized I was taking her to our private room.

After Carmen checked Bella out, she informed me that she was only dilated 3 centimeters, so she didn't need to go to the hospital for several more hours unless her water broke. I stayed in the room with Bella even after Carmen left. Bella was tired, and I just wanted to be near her, and hold her hand.

There was some kind of commotion outside our door. I heard Alice's shriek. Bella tried to sit up when Dad entered the room, but I stopped her.

"Bella, I heard that you started having contractions. I appreciate you caring about Esme and me, but you really didn't have to force yourself to attend today. How are you feeling?" Dad asked with a worried look.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Carlisle. I didn't mean to pull you from your party. I'm fine. Please go back out there and enjoy yourself."

"Bella, please. I'm exactly where I want to be. You're my daughter. I just wish you would have told us when you started having the contractions this morning. We could've at least cut this party short."

"Well, that's an idea. Why not cut it short?" I said to Dad.

"Hmmm. I'll discuss with Esme. We don't want to be rude to our guests, but you and Bella most certainly don't need to be here any longer. Take her home. Bella still has hours to go according to Carmen, so there's no point in her going to the hospital yet."

While Bella tried to convince Dad to let her stay, I heard the commotion outside get even louder. I looked at Dad and he sighed.

"It's Alice. She overheard me talking to Carmen about Bella. She's trying to get in here, but Rose, Emmett and Jasper are keeping her away. You should go out and see. It's quite a sight, actually. Alice is so tiny, but she's already pulled herself all the way to the door with Emmett clinching her." Bella laughed at Dad's comment.

"Let her in before the guests see them fighting." Bella said. When I opened the door Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and Rose tumbled in.

"Oops." They said in unison and Bella laughed.

We all followed Dad out the door. Bella and I followed him to get Kitty from Mom, so that we could go home. Kitty wanted to take some of the cake home since she barely ate, because her tongue was sore, so I asked for a container from the kitchen staff, and packed the cake. While I was busy packing the cake, Bella came to my side. Then we heard Dad and Mom address the crowd from the stage.

"My dearest friends, Esme and I are humbled to have so many of you here with us today. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Your friendship means a lot to us, and we firmly believe that our lives wouldn't have been this wonderful if it weren't for you all. I would also like to thank my family for hosting this wonderful party for us. I would like to especially thank Bella, our daughter-in-law. I just found out ten minutes ago that she started having contractions. Sometime today she's going to bless us with a grandson. What a beautiful gift she's giving us for our anniversary, don't you think? If you all could excuse us, I'm going to send my son, Edward, my daughter-in-law, Bella, and my granddaughter, Kathryn home early. Again, thank you all very much." After Dad finished his speech, Emmett got up on the stage to represent us kids to congratulate Mom and Dad.

"I'd like to thank everyone for joining us to celebrate our parents' wedding anniversary. It means a lot to us. Our parents have always been there for us through the good and the bad. A lot of bad. We've caused a lot of headaches to them since we seemed to always find a way to get caught up in some kind of trouble." The guests laughed and Emmett continued his speech.

"They never let us down though. No matter what we did, they always cared and loved us. They supported every decision we made. They never forced their opinions on us. They taught us the importance of family. I hope that one day the same can be said about us from our own children. My little brother is ahead of me in that area. As you all know, he just got married to that beautiful woman over there. He has a daughter now, and as you heard from Dad, she's blessing us with a little boy today. I'm going to have a nephew! Woo hoo!" Emmett pumped his fist in the air and earned a round of applause and laugh from the crowd.

"We are just going to step out for a moment to escort my brother, his wife, and their daughter to their car, but we'll be back shortly. The servers will be going around with some celebratory Champagne, Kir Royale and Mimosa so please enjoy a glass or two or three and celebrate this exciting news along with us. Thank you!" Emmett said and got off the stage.

"Well said, son. I'm proud of you. Again, thank you kids," Dad said.

"We've done really well. Haven't we, Carlisle? Look at our kids. They're all grown up now. I'm so proud of them." Mom said with tears in her eyes.

"We have. Even Emmett can make a decent speech on stage now." We all laughed at Dad's comment.

"Hey, that's not a compliment," Emmett pouted.

"It's the best you're gonna get ever!" Alice teased and we all laughed.

Rose handed me Bella's hospital bag. Mom and Dad told us to give them a call if we decide to leave before they come over after the party. We said goodbye and drove home.

* * *

**A/N **

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I just have one more chapter and an epilogue left to write for this story. I plan to write some outtakes after I finish this story though. I never wrote the night Edward proposed to Bella and their honeymoon so those are ones I would probably write. I just love this whole family, and will probably miss them later, so when I do, I'll write the outtakes. If you haven't put me on author alert, please do so. I'll probably announce it in my other stories when I post the outtakes of this story since many of you read my other stories as well.

I hope you liked this chapter. I'm very sorry that I'm not able to update as often as I used to. I'm too exhausted to write on a weekday after work and nothing creative comes to my mind. I want to give this story a great ending, the kind that I can be proud of, and the kind that you wouldn't regret for supporting me this far, so please bear with me for a little while longer.

Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter! Thank you!


	41. Chapter 41 Ten of Cups

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

I only own the plot of this story.

**Chapter 41 Ten of Cups **

(Picture on the Ten of Cups tarot card is a young father and mother with two children. A rainbow formed by ten cups in the background. Card signifies fortunate marriage, contentment of the heart. This card is one of the most positive card in the entire deck.)

**EPOV**

"Where are Mom and the rest of the gang?" I asked Dad when he came in through the door still dressed in the suit he wore to the party.

"Well, your mother wanted to go and get some flowers for Bella, and I sent the rest to unpack the boxes at your new house."

"They didn't have to unpack today. The baby isn't even born yet, Dad."

"It is better they're not here. Bella doesn't need anyone bothering her."

"I guess you're right. Bella could use the peace and quiet. Her pain threshold is high, but she's in a lot of pain now. Kitty's in our bed rubbing her back."

"I'll just quickly check on her. Plan on leaving here as soon as your mother arrives. We can call everyone over to the hospital when it's time for Bella to start pushing. Until then it would be better if they all stayed here."

"Thanks, Dad. I'll just grab her things and load it in the car." After I quickly loaded her things into the car I found Dad rummaging through the fridge. It seemed like he was searching for something to make Kitty a sandwich. Kitty sat and waited eagerly on the kitchen stool by the breakfast bar.

"Son, Bella said she wanted to take a bath. If I were you, I'd be in there with her just in case she slips." Dad said and winked.

"Dad, get the image of Bella naked in the bath out of your head."

"Edward! Of course I don't have that kind of image in my head. She's my daughter! Who do you think I am?"

"I was just kidding, Dad," I said and laughed. I wished Emmett was here, he would've died if he saw Dad's face just now.

I felt bad teasing Dad, but I needed some release. I was so tense. I needed to laugh, or I was going to crack. All I wanted to do from the moment I learned that Bella started to have contractions was to put her in the car, and drive straight to the hospital. I kept begging Bella, but she wouldn't budge. She hated hospitals and didn't want to be there longer than necessary. I could understand, but the doctor in me kept telling me that if anything went wrong she would be better off there than here.

I tried my best to wipe the worries off my face and headed to the bathroom. Bella stood in front of the mirror naked as she rubbed her belly and stared into the mirror.

"Hello, beautiful," I said and wrapped my arms around her.

"I sure don't feel beautiful."

"You're always beautiful. I'm going to miss your beautiful belly."

"Not me. I can't wait. Anyway, what are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd take a bath with my beautiful soon to be mother of a wonderful little boy."

"I'm just going to quickly wash my hair. I won't be long."

"I'll wash your hair then. Please." I begged Bella.

"All right," Bella said and looked annoyed. "I know you're here to keep an eye on me. Not because you want to bathe with me."

I got into the tub, and sat as far back as I could, and helped Bella sit between my legs. The water was nice and warm. I wet the sponge, and washed her back, and gently massaged her neck. After I washed her body I wet her hair and massaged the shampoo into her hair.

"That feels soooo good," Bella moaned and leaned into me.

"Just relax and let me take care of you."

I quickly washed the shampoo out of her hair and finished with some conditioner. I worked fast so that she didn't wear herself out. She needed to keep all her strength. Soon she was bringing another life into this world. I would definitely miss her belly, but I was also excited to see her without her belly.

I was finally going to be able to take her out and enjoy some fine wine together. As much as I loved her beautiful pregnant body, she needed a break. She had a very small frame and the extra weight really strained her back. I constantly worried about her ankles. They were quite swollen when she was on her feet too long. After I saw that Bella looked relaxed and her body was flushed pink from the bath, we got out and went to get dressed.

"I'm just gonna wear the delivery gown now. I don't want to bother changing again."

She looked adorable in the blue and green delivery gown Alice bought her from Bring Your Own Gown to wear instead of the hospital gown. I thought it was a ridiculous idea, but after seeing her in it, I was happy Alice got her the gown. She even got several more so that Bella had enough for her duration of stay in the hospital.

I settled Bella back into the bed after I helped dry her hair. As I headed towards the living room I heard Mom and Alice's voice. Alice came and shoved two small suitcases at me.

"These are for Bella. Make sure to take them to the hospital," she said and grinned.

"Alice, she has a bag packed already. She doesn't need more stuff."

"Yes, she does. She just doesn't know it yet. She'll thank me later."

"What's in it?"

"She's going to be bored in the hospital, so I got her things she could mess with."

"She needs to rest after the baby is born, and she already packed some books."

"She'll thank me, I know it! I even got her the Instax Camera she could take pictures of Matthew and the people who come to see them. I swear she's going to love the camera. I even got some stuff for a scrapbook. Kitty's gonna love it too. Have you thought about Kitty? She's going to be bored at the hospital when she visits Bella and Matthew, you know? You're welcome."

"All right. Thank you, but why two suitcases? What you mentioned shouldn't take that much space."

"I also got her some pillows and Egyptian combed sheets from Yves Delorme. She deserves to sleep on the best sheets than the cheap hospital bedding. Oh and the other suitcase has junk food. Have some faith in me. Bella will crave them. She craved for junk food the day after Kitty was born. We were in Forks so the selection was limited, so this time I made sure she had everything I could think of. Again, you're welcome."

Alice tapped my chest with the back off her hand and walked away with a smirk on her face.

My brows furrowed. I wanted to wipe that arrogant smirk off her. I felt like shit. I was so worried about getting her to the hospital and delivering Matthew safely that I didn't have any room to think about anything after Matthew was born. I covered my face in my hands and sighed. Jasper placed his arm on my shoulder and shook his head.

"Don't let it bother you. That's just Alice's way of making herself feel better because she can't do anything else for Bella. You, on the other hand get to be in the room, hold her hand, and whisper words of encouragement to Bella. Alice would kill to take your place if she could," Jasper said and smiled. Jasper's words brought a smile back on my face.

"Thanks. I'd better go and get Bella. We're heading off to the hospital."

"Good luck. I'll be there in a little while to capture the moment on film. Don't worry, I won't film her hoo haa," Jasper said and chuckled. I glared at Jasper and bumped my elbow into his gut.

It was seven in the evening when we arrived at the clinic. Carmen greeted us at the entrance. I helped Bella into the wheelchair and Carmen escorted us to Bella's birthing suite. Things were going to be much better for Bella this time. Carmen's clinic was nothing like Forks hospital. Her clinic had 22 specially designed and equipped beautiful LDR (labor, delivery, and recovery) suites that made you feel like you were in the comfort of your own home while delivering the baby. The bedroom even had the infant warmer so that we could bond as soon as Matthew was born. He would be with us unless there were any complications. The suite had all the state of the art equipments installed in the room which could be covered by the cabinet doors easily.

Carmen even had a cot for Kitty in the living room area of the suite, so that Kitty could sleep comfortably if she needed to. Carmen went to prep Bella in the bedroom while Dad, Mom, and I stayed in the living room area. After a little while Carmen came out to tell me that Bella was ready. It was time to administer the epidural and that they were breaking the water. Dad wanted to deliver Matthew since he delivered Kitty, so when it was time for Matthew's birth, he would take over from Carmen. Even though I was a doctor, it still felt a little awkward that my father knew what Bella looked like down there, but Bella was fine with it, so I never said anything about it.

Around 8 p.m. Bella said she felt cold. We covered her with some blankets. I got inside her bed, and held her close to me. She was 7.5 cm dilated. Bella felt comfortable enough from the epidural, so I wasn't worried about her pain. She just said that she felt pressure but no pain.

At 11:00 p.m. she was fully dilated and was ready to push. After several pushes from Bella, Carmen told us that she could see that the baby had dark hair just like Bella's. I kept telling Bella that she was doing great. The nurses tilted her bed higher so that she was sitting up more. I hoped that the gravity helped the situation a little.

I crawled in behind her and held onto her knees as instructed by Carmen to help Bella out. At 11:35 Matthew's head crowned. I could see from the mirror that he had curly dark hair. I kissed Bella and encouraged her to push. Bella pushed a few more times and at 11:55 pm, Matthew Alistair was born.

Bella wanted to wait a little while for the last push, so that Matthew wouldn't share his birthday with my parents' anniversary, but she was too tired, and Dad told her that he wanted Matthew born on the same day, so Bella pushed with everything she had.

They suctioned the baby, cleaned him up a little, and Dad handed Matthew to us. He was wailing still, but his eyes were open already. They were a beautiful set of brown eyes just like his Mom's. Jasper took pictures of the baby and quickly left to give us privacy.

They still needed to take care of Bella, and Matthew needed to be bathed and examined, so I kissed Bella and told her I was leaving to announce to the rest of the family that Matthew was born. I was overwhelmed and I needed to pull myself together. There were so many different emotions going through me, and I didn't want Bella to see me fall apart.

"I'm a Dad!" I said as soon as I stepped out of the bedroom to the lounge area of the suite where my family waited. I went to Mom and sat beside her. She gave me a hug and I broke down. "Mom, what am I going to do? He's so tiny and looks so helpless," I said and bawled. I was elated, scared, and overwhelmed all at once.

"You just love him like we loved you," Mom said and hugged me tighter.

"But Mom, I don't know anything. I don't know if I can be a good Dad. Bella, Kitty, and Matthew are so perfect. I'm not good enough for them."

"Shhhh. Calm down, Edward. That's just your anxiety talking. See that little girl over there? You have been a wonderful father to her. You're going to be fine. You're already fine," Mom pointed at Kitty sleeping in the cot.

"Mom, she came to me like that. She was a little person already. It was all Bella. I know nothing. I'm not worthy of them." I couldn't stop the tears falling and I was getting more worked up.

"Shhhh. You have Bella. She can teach you things you've never experienced before, but at the same time she doesn't have all the medical knowledge you do. You two will work together as a team. Bella had to raise Kitty almost all on her own because of Stephen's illness. This time she has you. She's counting on you. Matthew is counting on you too. You also have all of us. Carlisle and I raised all three of you just fine. Stop worrying so much and enjoy every minute you have with him, because he's going to grow up very quickly, and by the time you realize that, he'll be off to college. Kitty and Matthew are going to be your pride and joy." Mom said and rubbed soothing circles on my back.

"Mom, you're scaring me even more. Please don't talk about him leaving me before I even had the chance to bond with him."

"Oh, Edward. You know what I mean. Now get up and go see if we can meet Matthew yet," Mom said and tapped me on my thigh.

I went back to the room and found Bella in the double bed with Matthew in her arms. The birthing bed was nowhere to be found, so they must have wheeled it out already. Dad assured me that both Bella and Matthew were in perfect condition. He told me to go bond with them and that he'd go and get the rest of the family.

I slid into the bed and wrapped my arms around Bella who held Matthew in her arms. They were both so pure and beautiful. Bella looked extremely exhausted, but her smile was radiant.

"I love you. You now gave me two precious children. What can I do in return for this wonderful gift you've given me?"

"Just keep doing what you've always been doing. You're wonderful just the way you are."

"I love you, I love you, I love you. All of you." I repeated to Bella. I just couldn't come up with anything else. There were no words good enough to express my love towards them and how thankful I was.

"We love you too," Bella said and leaned into me for a kiss.

It was time for Matthew to be fed again. It took a little bit for Matthew to latch on, but once he managed he sucked on Bella greedily. After he finished feeding, Bella gave him to me, and I finally got the chance to really bond with him. I'm not sure how much time passed. I felt like I was in a world just alone with Bella, Matthew and I until I heard some throats cleared.

When I looked up, I saw seven pairs of eyes that belonged to my family staring at us eagerly to come and hold Matthew. I waved at them to come over. Alice and Emmett jumped on the bed and freaked Bella out.

"Kids, be careful," Dad scowled at Emmett and Alice.

Mom quickly rushed to Bella's side and stretched her arms out towards Bella. "May I please hold him?" Mom asked and Bella handed Matthew delicately to Mom. Before Mom could comment, Emmett yelled when he saw Matthew's face.

"Oh my God! It's George! I have George for my nephew! Yay!" Emmett yelled and pumped his fist in the air.

"George? He's Matthew, Em," I corrected Emmett.

"No, Edward. George! Curious George," Emmett said and beamed.

I felt like punching him square in the jaw, but Rosalie got to him first. She slapped upside his head really hard and pinched his arm. Emmett winced and rubbed his arms.

"That's what you get for being rude to your nephew. He's a beautiful little boy, and not a monkey captured by the Man with the Yellow Hat, taken away from Africa to be thrown into a zoo. That little monkey was probably separated from his parents, you idiot! "

"Everyone loves Curious George, so everyone's gonna love Matthew too," Emmett tried to explain, but ended up earning death glares not only from Rosalie, but from Alice as well.

Bella just laughed at Emmett. "I'm not sure if he looks like Curious George, but I think he looks just like my Dad."

"He does look a lot like Charlie," Mom said and smiled.

"I think he looks just like his beautiful Mommy," I said and kissed Bella.

We let Kitty hold Matthew before we handed Matthew over to Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie. As soon as they finished holding him, Jasper set up the tripod and we had our picture taken together as a family.

Kitty fell asleep in Rosalie's arms. Bella needed to rest so we said goodbye to our family. They told us they'd return to have breakfast together with us.

After the family left, Bella and I went to sleep, but were woken up several times during the night, so that Bella could nurse Matthew. I wasn't used to this, and I felt sorry for Bella. She needed to rest, but Matthew needed his Mommy. Once we were home I intended on helping Bella feed Matthew with the bottle, so that she didn't have to wake up every time Matthew was hungry.

Morning came too soon. Bella was up before I was. She said she was too hyper to sleep through the night. Carmen took Matthew for more tests and she needed to check on Bella to make sure things were all right with her. Bella was dying to take a shower, but Carmen insisted that she couldn't until she checked her out.

While Bella and Matthew were gone, I quickly showered. When I got out of the bathroom my family was in the living room setting up the food for breakfast.

"Good morning, dear. How are you? Where are Bella and Matthew?"

"Carmen needed to check on them," I said to Mom.

"Well, I'm just gonna go and check her charts then," Dad said and I stopped him.

"Dad, I'm sure Carmen has everything under control. Let her do her job. She doesn't need us sticking our head in for everything. I know you really care about Bella and Matthew, but we all know they're in great hands." Dad frowned but nodded. Carmen was nice enough to let Dad deliver Matthew, but I didn't think she'd appreciate any more interference.

The food smelled awesome. I wondered what they were. The container looked like a take-out. I could smell eggs, pancakes, and sausages.

"Where did you guys get the food?"

"We stopped by Griddle Café in Hollywood. Bella loves their breakfast food."

"Thanks, Emmett. Well what did you guys get?"

"Well, you have a choice of either 'Some like it hot scramble' which is chicken tequila sausages, jack cheese, tequila spiked rancheros sauce topped with pico de gallo, avocado and spicy hot chipotle sauce with chili cheese bread, 'Kicking and screaming breakfast tacos' which is scrambled eggs, jack cheese, pico de gallo and chipotle cream sauce in tortillas, 'Fiesta Scramble' which is eggs scrambled with green chiles, green onions, and corn tortillas topped with melted jack cheese, olives, sour cream and salsa, and there are lots of pancakes and French toasts."

"Mmmmm. They all sound great. I can't choose. I'll just wait and let Bella choose two dishes so we can share."

"Well, you might want to choose three dishes then. Bella eats almost as much as I do now," Emmett said and laughed.

"Hey, I heard that!" Bella said as she was wheeled back into the room. Once she was in the room she got up from the wheelchair and walked to the couch.

Kitty ran to Bella and jumped onto the couch. She clung onto Bella, and Bella gave Kitty a kiss. Kitty looked like she missed her Mommy. I sat down beside Kitty so that she was between the both of us, and gave her a kiss on her cheek. I wanted to assure her that we loved her very much.

We ended up just sharing all the food together, so that we each got a little of everything. Bella looked really happy, and wolfed down the food, since she barely got to eat yesterday. Carmen returned with Matthew while we were enjoying our breakfast. Mom asked Carmen to join us for breakfast. Carmen looked thrilled and sat down with us.

"So, when do you think Bella and Matthew can come home with us?" Mom asked.

"Well, everything looks good so I can release her tomorrow morning."

"Not today?" Kitty asked and frowned.

"Well, how about asking your Daddy and Mommy if you can stay here tonight with them? We can put the cot in the bedroom for you," Carmen said to Kitty.

"You don't mind?" I asked Carmen.

"It's my clinic. I make the rules." Carmen said and winked.

My family left after lunch. Mom told me she'll return in the evening with dinner for us. I told her I could step out and grab something, but she insisted. Kitty and Alice didn't want to leave but Dad explained to them that unless Bella rested she couldn't go home tomorrow.

Bella wanted to shower, but Carmen said she could only shower in the evening. I offered Bella to give her a sponge bath and wash her hair. Bella looked much more relaxed after I washed her hair. After I was done with the sponge bath I helped her change into another gown.

"Thanks so much, Edward. Oh gosh, I feel so much better," Bella said and leaned her head on my shoulder. Matthew started to cry again and it was time for Bella to nurse him again.

Matthew no longer had any trouble feeding from Bella's breasts. They were a great team. Bella looked heavenly when she nursed Matthew. She looked just like the Sistine Madonna by Raphael.

I felt serene and peaceful as I watched the two of them together beside me. After Matthew was full I took him from Bella, and let Bella take a nap. I sat up on the bed with Matthew in my arms while Bella lay beside me. I wanted to treasure this moment. Once we were home things wouldn't be this peaceful. We had Kitty to take care of, and I planned to go back to work next week.

After Matthew fell asleep, I placed him back in the crib and joined Bella in bed for a nap. I woke up and found myself alone in the room. I rushed out of bed and ran into the living room. I was immediately relieved when I saw Matthew in Mom's arms and Bella beside them on the couch.

"Good nap?" Bella smiled and asked. I smiled and nodded back to her. I went and sat beside Mom on the couch.

"Rose and Emmett took Kitty out for the day, so you two can spend the evening alone. Dad and I'll keep Kitty for the night. Don't worry about her. Alice and Jasper went to Venice and got you two some dinner. Alice said it's about time Bella craved some barbecue ribs so they went to Baby Blues BBQ."

"Baby Blues BBQ? Oh my gosh, I haven't been there in sooooo long. I can't wait to see what they got us!" Bella squealed like a little girl.

After Mom left we quickly opened the take-out containers. The food looked mouth watering. I didn't expect any less from Alice. She knew me and Bella well. They got us the Memphis style ribs, baby back ribs, and beef brisket with corn bread, mashed sweet potatoes, sautéed okra, mac 'n cheese, creamed spinach, and baked beans. They even got us banana pudding for dessert.

I wanted to have a candle lit, romantic dinner for Bella, but Bella seemed a lot more excited and happier with what Alice got for us. We decided to eat while we watched something. There were quite a few DVDs of TV series on the shelf. Bella chose Season 3 of Tudors. She said she had been too busy and hadn't seen the season. Bella looked extremely happy watching Jonathan Rhys-Meyers half naked while she enjoyed the ribs.

It was irrational, but I felt jealous towards Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and the ribs. I poked Bella a few times to get her attention, but she was too into the episode that she didn't even notice me. I felt a little rejected, so as soon as I finished eating, I left Jonathan Rhys-Meyers all to Bella and went to cradle Matthew in hopes that he'd give me some attention.

I sat in the rocking chair in the room and spent some time with Matthew. I didn't realize I fell asleep until Bella woke me up. She took Matthew from my arms and settled him into his crib. She came back for me and took my hand and led me to bed. We cuddled in bed together and Bella let me snuggle into her. Bella smelled different to me now. Maybe it was because she was nursing. I liked what she smelled like now. She still smelled sexy, but at the same time she smelled comforting and soothing. I know I needed to be the one to provide that kind of feeling, but wrapped in Bella's arms I felt all the worries I had leave from my mind. I hoped Bella felt the same way with my arms wrapped around her.

I woke up alone in bed again. When I walked into the living room, I saw Kitty in the middle of the room. Her arms jerked up and down and her body swayed back and forth. She looked like she was having some kind of episode. Then she started singing ahs and ees and the drums over and over again. I panicked and dashed in front of her. I kneeled in front of her to check on her. Kitty was startled to find me in front of her, but quickly relaxed when she realized it was me.

"Daddy, you're awake. I missed you," she said and smiled.

I didn't understand what was going on. She seemed coherent when she looked like she was clearly ill a minute ago. "What were you doing just now?"

"I was singing. Auntie Alice taught me how to dance to this song," she said and showed me the pink iPod nano that no doubt belonged to Alice.

I listened to what Kitty was listening, and immediately understood why Kitty acted so strangely just now. Only Alice would have Ting Tings' Great DJ on iPod. I felt like wringing Alice's neck for almost making have a panic attack. I felt relieved that there was nothing wrong with Kitty and slumped down on the floor.

"Daddy? Are you okay?" Kitty asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Princess. How are you?"

"I missed Mommy and you."

"I'm so sorry, Princess. Don't worry though, we're going home today. Where is everyone else?"

"Mommy and Matthew went with the nurses. Grandpa and Grandma went somewhere with Auntie Carmen. Auntie Alice, Uncle Jasper, Auntie Rosie and Uncle Emmett aren't here yet. Here, this is for you." Kitty handed me a bag of soup and sandwiches.

"Is this my breakfast?" I asked and Kitty nodded. "Did you all eat already?"

"Yes."

"Kitty, I need to go and take a shower. Will you promise me to stay here? Don't go out of the room, okay?" Kitty nodded. I handed the iPod back to her and she went back to listening to that darn song.

Now I had that darn song repeating in my head. I quickly shook it off and went to the bathroom. I felt excited to take Matthew, Bella, and Kitty home today. We were finally moving in to our new home. I quickly showered and got dressed.

When I got out of the bathroom, I found Mom dressing Matthew into the Anne Geddes outfit Bella and I purchased for him when we vacationed in Las Vegas. Dad held a hooded Moses basket as he smiled at Mom and Matthew. I grabbed my phone and took a picture of them. Matthew had them wrapped around his little finger already.

"Mom, is that new?" I didn't recall the Moses basket we purchased having a hood.

"Your father and I went shopping yesterday. He thought since it's quite sunny outside that Matthew would be better off with a hooded Moses basket," Mom said and smiled.

"Is that all you two bought for Matthew yesterday?" I raised my brow.

"Ummm. Well…" I shouldn't have asked. Of course they couldn't stop themselves from buying Matthew more things if they were in a baby store.

"No worries, Mom. I understand. I probably couldn't have stopped myself either if I was there too." I had a feeling they weren't the only ones who went shopping for Matthew yesterday. It was unlikely Rosalie and Alice could have refrained from shopping for Matthew.

Bella returned shortly to the room with Carmen. Carmen assured me that Bella and Matthew was fine and that they were ready to go home now. Bella went to the bedroom to get dressed. While I packed to get ready to go home, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie arrived. Their hands were full with bouquet of flowers, boxes of cupcakes, and small gift bags. I raised my brow and looked at them.

"They're for the nurses and others who took care of Bella and Matthew, silly," Alice said and laughed. I gasped when I realized I hadn't even thought of any of this. I was really thankful of how thorough Alice was.

"You saved the day, Alice. Thanks sooooo much."

"It's no biggie. It's the least we can do for you two. We didn't have to do anything and now we have a beautiful nephew. It's our way to thank you guys," Alice said and hugged me.

Bella came out of the bedroom wearing a beautiful satin floral sundress. She looked stunning and radiant. I went to her and held her close to me. I explained to her that Alice and the others went and got things for us to hand out to thank everyone here at the clinic. Bella covered her mouth when she realized we hadn't thought of anything remotely close to that. I assured her everything was all good and that we didn't have to feel guilty that we completely forgot to get something for the people here.

I situated Bella into the wheelchair and Carmen pushed her chair while I carried Kitty. Dad carried Matthew in his Moses basket, Mom carried the flowers, Rose and Alice carried the gift bags, Jasper carried the cupcakes, and Emmett carried Bella's bags we brought. We went around thanking everyone before we went to the parking lot. We said goodbye to Carmen and some of the nurses who came to send us off.

Bella sat in the back with Matthew so that she could keep an eye on him. Mom couldn't part with Matthew so she sat in the car with us. Kitty joined Dad in his car and Alice and Jasper, and Rose and Emmett followed us from behind.

It didn't take us too long to arrive at our new house. Everything looked perfect. The gate was freshly painted and beautiful flowers were planted everywhere. Dad brought Kitty to us and they all stepped into the house to give us a moment together.

I held Matthew in his Moses basket with one hand and in my other hand I held Kitty's hand. Bella stood beside Kitty and held her hand as well.

"The house is so beautiful, Edward. I'm so happy. We're all going to be so happy here. We get to grow old and watch our kids grow up."

My imagination went wild. I imagined lots of children running around the house. Little pixies looking just like Alice, little blonde beauties like Rosalie, little tyrants like Emmett, and little quiet and shy boy like Jasper playing with an older Matthew and Kitty. I even imagined a little boy with brown hair like Bella's and green eyes just like mine among them.

"I wanna go inside!" Kitty jumped up and down holding our hands. I smiled at Bella and Kitty, and led them into our new home where our bright future held.

A/N

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I have links on my profile page for Bella's delivery gown, the restaurants mentioned here and Ting Tings' Great DJ video on youtube so that you can imagine Edward panicking seeing Kitty swaying and swinging her body like the duo in the video.

I want to thank every one of you for all the support you've given me. Thank you all so much. Your reviews have been awesome. This is the last chapter for Amor Vincit Omnia. I do have an epilogue coming soon. It's set a few years down the road. I've written about half of it already, so I shouldn't keep you all waiting too long. It will be a fun chapter and I'll tie up all the loose ends.

Once I'm done with the epilogue I'm going to concentrate on writing my other story, Talk of the Town, but at the same time I'll be putting my notes together on a new Bella and Edward story. I have about 30 pages of notes put together already. It's going to be quite different from any of my stories I've written. It's going to be a suspense/romance. It won't start as a romance as I'm starting Bella as a 17 yr old and Edward fresh out of college, but the romance will happen later on.

Please leave me a review so that I can thank every one of you for all the support you've given me with this story.

Also, please let me know what you thought of this chapter and also if you want a little sneak peak of the new story I'm cooking right now. If I get a lot of response to that I'll post a little of the first chapter after the end of the epilogue.

Again, thank you very much for all of your support. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you'll enjoy the epilogue when I post it.


	42. Epilogue Part 1

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer**

I only own the plot of this story.

**Epilogue Part 1**

**BPOV**

"I'm sorry I haven't visited in a long time. I know it's just an excuse, but so much happened so quickly. You'd be proud of our kids. Matthew is almost two years old now. Kitty's a great big sister to him. I wish you were here to see how much they've grown," I said while Kitty, Matthew and I sat in front of the grave.

"I thought Daddy was in heaven." Kitty looked confused. It wasn't her first time to visit a grave since we've taken her to Charlie's grave, but she seemed to have forgotten.

"He is, but his body is here."

While I explained to Kitty why people visit the grave, I heard a baby's cry. Of course I immediately recognized who the cries belonged to. When I turned my head towards the direction the cries were coming from, I noticed Edward looking apologetic for disturbing us. I waved for Edward to come over. I reached my arms out to have Edward pass Jude to me.

I held Jude in my arms and addressed Stephen's grave. "Stephen, this is Jude Charles Cullen. He looks more like Edward than me, because of his emerald green eyes, but his hair color is a lot like mine. You'd think Kitty would rather have a sister, but she actually enjoys being the only princess in the family. I think that's a trait she took after you," I said and laughed.

I wanted to be back here in Chicago much sooner, but three months after Matthew was born, I was pregnant again. Taking care of Kitty and Matthew while being pregnant was more than Edward and I could handle, and travelling was out of question. The only reason we got to be here was because of Esme. She knew I wanted to visit Stephen and my Mom's grave for a long time now, so Carlisle and Esme planned the Cullen Family vacation in Chicago and Florida this year. None of us were pregnant at the moment so there was no better time than now to be on vacation.

The kids were thrilled to have grandma, grandpa, uncles and aunts with them. They really spoiled them rotten. Rosalie and Emmett finally tied the knot last month. Their wedding was a grand event, although you couldn't expect less from the heiress of the Hale hotel Group. Emmett gave up his coaching job, and was now being trained by Rosalie's father, to take over his hotel business when he retired. They were genuinely happy. Alice and Jasper were the ones who surprised us though. You'd think Alice would have a grand wedding, but instead, they spontaneously got married last year, while they vacationed in Bali. Their pictures were fabulous. They were dressed in the Balinese wedding attire, and the golden hairpieces that adorned their heads were stunning. It was very unique, so in that sense it was very Alice, and the symbols, philosophy, and the aesthetics of the Balinese wedding matched Jasper's personality perfectly.

Matthew started to fuss from boredom and started to pull out the grass in the cemetery, so before there were bald patches in front of Stephen's grave, we decided to move along. We were actually meeting Edward's ex-girlfriend, Tanya, for lunch. I didn't dislike her like I did Jessica. I actually felt sorry for Tanya. She wanted to be with Edward, and follow him to Los Angeles, but he refused. She was still single, but I didn't feel threatened at all. She gave up her dream of becoming an opera singer, but became an actress instead. She was doing extremely well. The movies she starred in were all box office hits.

We were told to meet her at The Seasons Restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel. Tanya selected the place as she was able to secure a private room, and she mentioned that the place had children's menu available. I was a little nervous. She was a gorgeous actress, and I was just a Mommy with three kids. Three gorgeous kids, but just a Mommy nonetheless. Edward obviously didn't think of me that way, but he was biased. I made sure that I looked as good as I could, and that my children didn't look like they stepped out of Rugrats. Edward thought I was being silly, when I fussed over what to dress the children in when we left the hotel this morning. I settled on dressing Jude in the Armani suit and jacket for babies, Matthew in the same suit for two year olds, and Kitty in Il Baule D'Elianne's green liberty print dress with Peter Pan collar, which they all wore to Rosalie and Emmett's wedding. They all grew very quickly but thankfully the clothes still fit them. I wore a simple Tory Burch's Oleander dress adorned with beads and sequins on the shoulder. The dress wasn't form fitting, so I was able to hide my poochy stomach that remained after having two babies one after the other. I know I didn't have anything to prove, but I still wanted us all to look good.

Tanya wasn't there when we were escorted to the private dining room. We went ahead and ordered three glasses of milk for the kids and two glasses of Pinot Grigio for Edward and myself while we looked over the menu. We found it hilarious that Four Seasons had an item on the children's menu called "Four Season's TV Dinner," so we selected that for Matthew. We got to choose the main entrée for it, so we selected the Roast Turkey with mashed potatoes, gravy, and buttered peas instead of the barbecue chicken breast as it came with a corn on the cob. I didn't want to deal with all the gunk that would be stuck in Matthew's teeth afterwards. Kitty insisted on ordering from the adult menu and selected the Wagyu beef burger. Since Kitty was ordering from the adult menu and Tanya was already fifteen minutes late, Edward said we should just order as well.

I actually liked the items on the children's menu better, so I selected the Chicken fingers with ranch sauce and spaghetti with meatballs. They came with sides, so I selected the fruit kabob and tater tots. Jude loved pasta and fruit so I wasn't worried of him going hungry. Since Kitty ordered the burger, and we were sure she would only finish half or less of it, and either Edward or I would end up finishing her burger, so Edward just ordered the "900" Cobb Salad for himself. I know it doesn't look classy sharing food in such a nice restaurant, but we had a private room, and it was Tanya's fault for choosing such an upscale place when there were little ones involved.

Right as the food from the children's menu arrived, Tanya was escorted into the room by her bodyguards. "I'm so sorry, the interview ran late and we got caught in traffic. Oh the food looks yummy. I'm glad you all ordered." Tanya said and hugged Edward, me, and the kids before she took her seat.

"You've been busy. You look great though." Edward said and smiled at Tanya.

"Thank you. You look great too, and you have such a lovely family. I'm so happy for you. It seems we both got what we wanted in life."

"Indeed. I couldn't ask for more." Edward said and smiled at Tanya, and then at us.

"There are days I wish I had what you have, but I think I'd like to enjoy this fame and fortune for a little while longer."

"It'll happen in good time. I'm sure of it." Edward said to her.

Tanya just ordered a chopped vegetable salad with feta cheese. When the rest of the food arrived including hers, I noticed that she kept glancing at all the meats and carbs we were having.

"Would you all mind if you shared some of the food with me? It looks so good, but I'm in the middle of filming a movie, so I can't put on any extra weight, but I really can't resist the temptation," Tanya said and blushed.

"Be my guest," I said and grabbed one of the empty plates, and plated it with a little of everything we ordered.

"You're a heaven sent. Oh it smells so gooooood." She said and the kids laughed.

"I saw you on TV," Kitty said to Tanya.

"You did? What was the TV program about?"

"A mean blonde lady with lots of wrinkles said your dress looked horrible." I gasped at Kitty's honesty. I thought Edward would be horrified as well, but when I glanced at him he was shaking trying to hold his laugh.

"Oh, yeah. She's back as the fashion police on E!, and she's just jealous of the pretty people." Tanya said and laughed. I was glad she wasn't one of the snobbish actresses who would be irritated over an innocent child's comment.

I actually had a great time having lunch with Tanya. I could see why Edward was attracted to her before he met me. She was smart, kind, and beautiful. They just weren't a good match since they both wanted something different in their lives.

We told Tanya to visit us next time she was in LA. Kitty told her that she thought she was pretty and that the blonde lady was just a mean person.

We had to rush to Lego Land Discovery Center to meet up with the family. Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were going to watch the kids there while the rest of us shopped.

**EPOV **

I was glad Bella agreed to have lunch with Tanya. Tanya was one person I felt bad for mistreating years ago. I was glad to see that she seemed genuinely happy with her life. Tanya was the last of the two people on my mind. The other was Victoria, the fear that she was out there, and possibly planning a revenge on us, but that finally resolved last year.

Last year, we were surprised with a letter that arrived with no return address. When I opened the letter, I panicked, and tried to hide it from Bella, but she grabbed it from me. The letter was from Victoria. She wrote that she was now remarried, and was pregnant with her first child. She struck a deal with the DA and provided them with enough evidence to put James away for a very long time, and was let go without being put behind bars. Now that she was pregnant, she felt guilty for what James had done to Kitty and us, and wanted to apologize for not stopping him.

Until we read the letter we never had the confirmation that James planned on kidnapping Kitty from the hospital given the chance, so reading what he originally planned sent shivers down my spine. Victoria apologized for contacting us again, but assured us that this was the last we would hear from her.

I was still pissed at her, but Bella forgave her. Bella said she had no room to hold resentment towards Victoria, because her heart was full with happiness and love towards me and the children. Even after almost three years with Bella, she never ceased to amaze me. Her philosophy towards life was beautiful. I loved her more every day.

"What the hell are you day dreaming about?" Emmett shook me out of my state of bliss thinking about Bella.

"Just Bella."

"You're not getting any? Eh, I guess that's understandable. I'd be tired if I had three kids too."

"Em, why does it always have to be about food or sex when it comes to you? I was just thinking about how wonderful Bella is."

"You can't be serious. You two aren't even newlyweds anymore, and you still day dream about her? I don't know, maybe you should get your head examined." I just shook my head and frowned. Em and I were two totally different people even though we were brothers.

"All right. Who's taking who?" Jasper asked.

"I'll take Kitty to the Princess Palace where she can build her own Princess garden or her original pink Lego house. I'll give you kids a call after she's done," Dad said and left with Kitty to the Princess Palace.

"I wanna go to the Lego Racers build and test. We'll build a really cool car and beat all the other cars." Em said excitedly. Jasper laughed.

"We should ask Matthew if that's what he wants to do. We're not here for you, you know?" Jasper commented laughing.

"Wanna build a car and race, Chewy?" Em asked Matthew. Emmett always called him Chewy. It all started when Matthew couldn't say his name properly, and was only able to say Machew. Matthew just shrugged his shoulders. Matthew was a little shy and reserved. He was very much like Bella in personality. Kitty on the other hand was much more aggressive and outgoing. I blamed that all on Alice and Emmett. She was around them too much.

"Just take him. I'm sure he'll have fun. I'll just go and wander around with Jude and find something he can do. Make sure to take Matthew to Lego factory so that he can learn how the bricks are made and take home his own special Lego brick. Oh, and Em? Do not accept the Lego brick from him if he wants to give it to you. He's at the age of wanting to give things to people. Call me when you guys are done," I said and left Matthew with Jasper and Emmett. I decided to go and check out the Mini land with Jude. It was supposed to have a miniature city of Chicago made out of 1.5 million Lego bricks. After I saw the miniature I went to check out the Hall of Fame. Life size Hagrid made out of Lego bricks was quite a sight to see.

Jude was thirsty and I also needed to change him, so I went to the restroom and changed his diaper, and then headed to the Café. Jude fell asleep, so I placed him back in his stroller and covered him with his blanket. There were newspapers available in the Café, so I ordered myself a cup of coffee, and just relaxed while I people watched, and read the paper. Two long hours later Dad, Kitty, Jasper, Emmett, and Matthew emerged carrying large shopping bags full of items they must've purchased at the Lego shop.

"Ummm. You know we're off to Florida after here right?" I said to them.

"Son, we'll manage. There are so many of us, I'm sure we'll be within the weight limit, and we could always pay for the extra luggage."

"Dad, you're spoiling the kids."

"Actually, most of the stuff belongs to Emmett," Jasper said and shook his head. It was no wonder Emmett seemed more excited to come here than my kids.

"Where are we off to next?" I asked Dad.

"Hershey's Chicago!" Emmett yelled.

"Geez. Calm down, Em. It's just a candy store." Jasper scowled. "I thought Alice was bad when she was excited, but you, you're so much worse!" Dad laughed at Jasper's comment.

"You never had to witness their childhood," Dad said and squeezed Jasper's shoulders laughing.

Emmett went crazy and bought himself a lot of chocolate themed T shirts, and chocolates for the girls. I had the 8 oz. Hershey's kisses customized with a message to Bella. Kitty and Matthew chose a cupcake from their bakery and we all took at break at their Café.

After resting at Hershey's, we divided into two groups and took a cab out to the Navy Pier. Emmett thought the kids would love the Navy Pier, and that we could eat at Bubba Gump for dinner. I didn't object since the kids loved fried shrimp, and the restaurant was family friendly.

I felt exhausted from watching the kids already, and felt bad that Bella did this on a daily basis. I tried to help, but I was usually too tired after a long day of treating screaming kids, who may be a sweet child when they were fine, but were absolutely horrific when they were sick.

Kitty and Matthew were really excited when Emmett told them that they could go on a balloon and float 35 stories high. The Navy Pier had helium filled balloon that carried 18 passengers at a time to view a panoramic view of Chicago and Lake Michigan. It seemed like a really wonderful experience for the kids, but I knew Bella would be horrified if I took Jude with me on the balloon, so I stayed behind, and let the others go on the ride while I waited on the ground.

Kitty and Matthew came back squealing, and Kitty wouldn't stop talking about how exciting it was. After the balloon ride, Kitty and Matthew got hungry, so we headed over to Bubba Gump. We've been to Bubba Gump in Santa Monica more times than we could ever count, so it was a sure place to take the kids for dinner. Halfway through dinner Matthew fell asleep and Kitty could barely keep her head up either. Kitty went to sit on Emmett's lap and laid her head on his chest. I tucked Matthew in Jude's stroller and opted to carry Jude instead of Matthew, since he was much smaller and lighter. Once we finished eating, Dad pushed Matthew's stroller, Emmett carried Kitty in his arms, Jasper carried the mountain of items we purchase throughout the day, and I carried Jude in my arms. We quickly flagged a cab and went back to our hotel.

Dad suggested that Em, Jasper, and I should go out for some drinks while he watched the kids for me, but I was too exhausted to go out, so I declined, and instead suggested that he go out to the hotel bar with Jazz and Em. I said goodnight to my family and went to tuck the kids in bed. Bella wanted the kids bathed before bed, so she wasn't going to be very happy when she finds out that I couldn't get Kitty to take a bath, but I was too exhausted to care. At least I changed Kitty into her pajamas. Jude and Matthew was a different story though. I needed to bathe them. They smelled pretty bad all over, mostly their bum, because I didn't change Jude's diapers and Matthew's training pants as often as I should have.

"My stinky boys, let's get you cleaned up," I said to them and carried Matthew to the bathroom first. He was still half asleep, so I had to hold him up while I quickly washed his body and sprayed him off with the shower. I rolled him into the bathrobe in just his training pants, and laid him on the bed, while I went to bathe Jude. After I finished washing Jude, I rolled him into the bath towel, and took him to the bedroom where Matthew was asleep. I dressed Matthew and tucked him in bed, and then did the same for Jude, and tucked him in his crib.

We selected Trump International Hotel and Tower, because of their superb Trump Kids program. They had children's menu, kiddie cocktails, kid's robe and slippers, board games, children's books and movies, business card printed with the children's names, and upon advance notice provided cribs with plush linen, baby listening monitors, and bed rails.

Now that the kids were sound asleep in their beds, I plopped on the couch and turned the TV on. Few seconds later I could barely keep my eyes open and fell asleep.

**BPOV**

I tried to wake Edward up, but he was dead asleep. I gave up on the idea of waking him, and just covered him up with blankets. I dragged myself to the bedroom and crawled in bed, without bothering to change into my pajamas. I just took my jeans off, and slept in my T shirt and underwear.

"Mommy, I want to take a bath," Kitty said and shook me awake. I wanted her to wake Edward up instead, but today was my turn to take care of the kids. I went to run her a bath, while she stayed on our bed and watched TV. Matthew woke up and quickly joined Kitty to watch TV.

"Why didn't you take a bath yesterday?" I asked Kitty.

"I was too sleepy." I had a feeling the guys wore them down too much.

I was pretty sure Edward bathed Matthew, but I took him to the bathroom along with Kitty so that I could wash his hair. While I bathed the kids I got a call from Esme telling me that they ordered breakfast for everyone in their suite, so that we could join them whenever we were ready. I told her Kitty and Matthew was hungry, and that I could get them all ready in fifteen minutes. She told me that she or Carlisle would come and pick them up from us around that time. I thanked her and hung up the phone. I was thankful for Esme's offer to take the kids off my hands. This meant that I could have a relaxing shower without being interrupted by the kids, and possibly a quickie with Edward. After the kids were gone, I went to wake Edward up.

"Edward, wake up," I said and squatted in front of Edward. Ick. Edward smelled bad. This was not the Edward I was used to. He usually smelled nice. Yesterday must've been quite a rough day.

Edward was still half asleep, but after I straddled him, and worked my hand under his shirt, and planted kisses from his chest down to his boxers, Edward junior was clearly up for a challenge.

"Mmmmm. What are you doing Mrs. Cullen? The kids will be up any minute."

"Carlisle came and got the kids. They're with them having breakfast. It's just the two of us now. Let's go and take a shower together."

"Mmmm. Sounds nice. Could you go and get the shower started? I need another minute."

"Edward, the offer is only going to be good for another five minutes. If you aren't in the shower with me by then, consider the offer off the table." I huffed and left for the bathroom.

My words must have been convincing. Edward came rushing into the bathroom naked. "Where did you leave your clothes?"

"I stripped them off on my way here."

"Make sure you pick up where you left your trail of clothes. You don't want Kitty asking you why you took your clothes off outside the bathroom."

"Shut up, and kiss me," Edward grabbed me around my waist and held me closer to him.

Edward held on to my hands while I took a few steps back and sat on built in seat of the tub. Edward's back blocked the water from the shower. He got on his knees and wrapped one of his arms around my waist while his other hand went between my legs.

"Mmmm. Faster, Edward."

"Trade places with me," Edward said and pulled me off the seat in the tub. He sat down and made me straddle his legs. I grabbed one of the safety bars as I lowered myself onto him.

"I kinda like this corner tub," I said and sucked on his neck while he bounced me up and down.

"This tub only works because you're so petite."

"Shut up, and fuck me. We have to check out in an hour."

"Yes, Mistress Bella," Edward said and went faster and harder. I started to worry that the safety bar might fall off from all the tugging I was doing.

"Love, I can't hold any longer. I'm gonna come," Edward grunted and released into me.

"Too bad we can't continue this in bed. We need to finish packing to leave for our flight to Orlando."

"Well, we could always join the mile high club," Edward chuckled.

We finished showering and packing our things to check out of the hotel. We called to have our luggage taken downstairs. As soon as our luggage was picked up, we went to Esme and Carlisle's suite to join them all for breakfast.

Since there wasn't much time left, we wolfed down a cheese croissant and a glass of orange juice. We quickly went down to the lobby and piled into the stretch limousine we hired. This was the easiest way to transport eleven people all at once.

The flight wasn't bad at all for Edward and I since Esme and Carlisle sat with Matthew, and Alice and Emmett sat with Kitty. Rose and Jasper wanted to rest, and didn't want to deal with the three excited children, so they decided to sit together. Edward and I only had Jude to take care of throughout the duration of the flight.

Kitty loved her Uncle Emmett and Auntie Alice. It seemed like they spoke a different language when they were together. They found the same things funny, laughed at the same timing, and found excitement from simple little things majority of adults seemed to miss. Alice protested that she was nothing like Emmett, but to someone like me, Alice and Emmett were the same. They had a heart of a child. To me Emmet was Peter Pan, Alice was Tinkerbelle, Kitty was Wendy, and Matthew and Jude were Wendy's little brothers.

Jude slept through most of the flight, but we heard Kitty, Alice, and Emmett's voice throughout the duration of the flight. We could hear them plan what they wanted to do while we were at Walk Disney World. Kitty seemed especially excited when she found out that were booked for the whole week at the resort. We were staying at Kidani Village in Disney's Animal Kingdom Villa. Kidani Village was an African themed lodging featuring 30 species of animals that roam free amidst a 21 acre wildlife that include lush, tropical savannas. We each had a two bedroom suite with savanna view where the giraffes, zebras, and other animals grazed. Both Matthew and Kitty loved the zoo, so we were sure it was going to be a dream come true for them, to wake up and go to bed with the animals just outside our balcony.

**A/N **

This was part 1 of the 2 part epilogue. It just became too long, so I needed to split it. I hope you all didn't mind.

Please leave me a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter. This story is almost complete, it would be awesome to hear from many of you who haven't reviewed in a while. I have no idea if you're still enjoying the story.

I have started a new story, Cardinal Sins. It's a Bella/Edward Suspense/Romance story. Bella is a 17 yr old computer geek, 3 months short of turning 18. Renee passes away and she's left behind with Phil. He finds the game Bella was developing and sells the rights to Volturi Games, owned by Aro Volturi. Aro Volturi is Esme's brother. Emmett and Edward works for Aro. Edward is 22 yrs old. Phil keeps Bella locked up in the house to force her to work on making the game. Bella reaches out to Charlie, who she doesn't remember, and hasn't been in touch with ever since Renee moved away from Forks when Bella was barely one year old.

I've posted three chapters, so it should be enough for you to judge if you want to keep reading the story or not. It's very different from Amor Vincit Omnia. It would be great if you could try it out. You'll be able to find the story in my profile, under "My stories," or you can search under Books-Twilight-Cardinal Sins.

Thank you for all the support you've given me with this story. Just the 2nd part of the epilogue left to go.


	43. Chapter 43 Epilogue Part 2

**Disclaimer: Twilight and the characters are the property of Stephenie Meyer. **

**I only own the plot of this story. **

The links to the places mentioned in this chapter are on my profile under Epilogue part 2. Scroll all the way down on my profile and you'll find it. The Fantasmic! clip is quite good!

**Epilogue Part 2**

**APOV**

After we landed, we went straight to the cemetery where Renee and Phil rested. Since we took the 6:30 a.m. flight from Chicago, it was only a little after 10 a.m. when we landed in Orlando. Kitty, Matthew, and Jude were all bouncing and happy since they always woke up early in the morning, but the rest of us were in desperate need of caffeine.

I was already quite emotional. This was Bella's first time for her to take the kids to the cemetery where Renee and Phil were buried. Renee passed away before Bella was even pregnant with Kitty. At least Charlie knew she was pregnant and was thrilled to become a grandfather. Renee never had the pleasure to get excited over becoming a grandma. Edward noticed a change in Bella's mood, and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead and wrapped his arms around her while we sat in the limo.

"You're not alone. My family are going to be there, I'm going to be there, and our kids are going to be there with you," Edward kept repeating those words to Bella in hopes to comfort her. The walk to Renee's grave from the limo seemed really painful to Bella. Her legs went weak and she could barely walk on her own. Edward struggled to hold her weight since he had Jude in his arms. Suddenly Jasper went beside Bella and lifted her into his arms, and walked to Renee's grave carrying her.

"Thank you," she said and kissed Jasper's cheek.

"Don't mention it, sister. This is what family is all about. We are all here to support each other. " and Jasper started to sing "Lean on me."

_Sometimes in our lives we all have pain  
We all have sorrow  
But if we are wise  
We know that there's always tomorrow_

_Lean on me, when you're not strong  
And I'll be your friend  
I'll help you carry on  
For it won't be long  
'Til I'm gonna need  
Somebody to lean on_

"Jasper, you're making me cry more," Bella said and feigned a punch to his chest.

"Eh," Jasper said and smiled.

We as a family all sat in front of Renee and Phil's grave while Bella introduced Edward and the children to Renee.

"Mom, I know you've seen Edward when he was a little boy, but as you know, he's my husband now. I know you were there to witness our wedding in Hawaii. Well, here are Kitty, Matthew, and Jude. They are all wonderful. We are both very proud of our children. Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, and Edward's older brother Emmett and his wife, Rosalie is here too. They've all welcomed me into the Cullen family, and I'm really happy, Mom."

"Hello, Renee. We've both done really well raising our kids. Bella is a wonderful daughter-in-law, and a splendid mother. She's made my son a very happy man. I've never seen him as happy as he's been since he met Bella. Thank you for bringing Bella into this life. I miss you. I promise that we will all protect and ensure Bella and the children's happiness," Mom said and kissed her hand, and placed it on Renee's grave.

While Jasper and I sat in front of Renee's grave I felt this wonderful warmth wrap around me. It reminded me of times I visited Renee with Bella and how she used to hug us both. I asked Jasper if he felt anything when he was there since he was very sensitive to the point that I sometimes wondered if he was a Clairsentient. He said that he felt very serene and that smell of roses hung in the air. What Jasper said was interesting. We took a lot of sunflowers because that was Renee's favorite flowers, but we didn't take a single rose. I tried to recall if there were any roses around, but couldn't remember seeing any. I wondered if it was really true that when the spirits are around people often say they smelled roses.

After we said our goodbyes to Renee and Phil, Bella looked a little better, and was able to walk back to the car on her own. The kids and Emmett were hungry so we stopped by Long John Silver's on the way to the resort. We ate quickly so that we could check into the Kidani Village as soon as possible.

The kids were full, so they fell asleep in the limousine, on the way to the resort. This meant that we had little people to carry to the suites. Emmett offered to carry Kitty to Bella and Edward's suite. We could've woken Kitty up, but we all feared that she might stay grumpy for the rest of the day, if we interrupted her nap.

Kidani villa was more beautiful than I imagined. The view from the balcony of the suite was spectacular. I wanted to sit with Bella and check on her if she was all right. This morning had been quite an emotional time for her. I sent Jasper and Edward out to go check out the resort so that I could spend some time with her.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm okay. I feel so blessed, but I also feel a little guilty."

"Guilty? Why?"

"Sitting in front of Mom's grave made me think of so many things that happened over the years. I have it all, Alice. I have a loving husband and three beautiful children. I have you, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and awesome in-laws. Mom didn't have any of what I have. What did I do to deserve all this? Just few years ago I was in Chicago falling apart from losing Stephen. I had no sense of direction and I had no idea how I was going to raise Kitty alone. Then you and Jasper show up and pulled me out of the hole I was in."

"Amor Vincit Omnia, Bella. Love conquers all. You're a wonderful person. You are loving, caring, and kind. You have a beautiful heart and soul, and a lot of love to give. You have it all because of who you are. I never doubted Emmett would have a happy marriage, but I had serious doubts about Edward. He never seemed to choose the right woman. If he never met you, he would still be single or he'd be stuck with some gold-digger or someone incompatible to him. You gave Mom and Dad three wonderful grandchildren. You just don't realize that without you none of us would be as happy as we are today."

"Aww, thanks, Alice, but really, I did nothing. It was all you guys' doing. Okay, so maybe I popped some wee ones out, but other than that it was all you guys', especially you. You could've abandoned me. I had so much baggage, but you flew from LA, comforted me, packed my stuff, and helped restart my life in LA. You even almost died because of me. If you disassociated from me, you wouldn't have risked running into James again. Every one of you risked so much just to help me and Kitty out."

"It's because we love you, and we need you. I need you. You've been my best friend since my junior year in high school. You accepted me for who I am. You love me regardless of all my quirks. No one can replace you, Bella. You're just that wonderful," I said and hugged Bella. We just sat in a hug and watched the giraffe graze down below from our balcony in silence. It was a little hot and humid, but there was some breeze so it was bearable. I felt blessed I had such a wonderful best friend and sister-in-law.

Jude stirred awake in his stroller. I pulled him out of his stroller and sat him on my lap. He reached out for my fruit smoothie and sucked on the straw. "Hey, slow down, young padawan," I said and tickled Jude. He was so adorable and looked so much like Edward. He smiled and scowled like Edward, but would chew on his lips like Bella when he was anxious about something. While I pointed to the animals to tell Jude what they were, Kitty came out to the balcony holding Matthew.

"Mom, Matthew is hungry," she melodiously said and put Matthew down.

"Any suggestions? "

"Oh, I know just the place for princes and a beautiful princess," I said and got out of the chair."First we need to change into something special. Follow me to my room," I said and led them to my suite.

I opened one of the suitcases I had and pulled out a Cinderella dress for Kitty, a Peter Pan outfit for Matthew and a Duffy Bear outfit for Jude I made before we left LA. I wanted us to look better than anyone else even the cast at the restaurant and to shock the hell out of Bella. I was a designer. I couldn't let them wear some cheap crappy costume out of a box.

Bella shrieked when I handed her the costume I made for her. "You have to be kidding me. I refuse to wear costume, Alice. Everyone is going to laugh at us."

"So! What if they laugh at us? It's not like we'll see them ever again. Come on, spoil sport. Live a little. Let's be kids for a day. It's what the magic of Disney is all about!"

"I'm Minnie Mouse? What's this bear outfit for Jude?"

"It's Duffy."

"Who's Duffy?

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Shame on you, Bella. You don't know? He's the stuffed animal bear that Mickey gives to Minnie before he goes out to sea so that she wouldn't miss him too much. Minnie Mouse makes Mickey the Shellie May bear. Tokyo Disney Sea created these characters. You guys' are going to be a huge hit!"

"Alice! Then the Disney fans are really going to stare at Jude and me," Bella frowned.

"Oh, come on, Bella. Everyone is going to love us! Where's the spirit?" Bella hung her head and sighed. She knew she wasn't going to get out of this one.

"What are you going as?"

"Tinkerbell."

"You get to be yourself and I'm a rat?"

"Quit complaining. You and Jude are perfect together. You need to have a baby girl next though, so you can have a Shellie May with you."

"I'm so done having babies. You haven't even had one. It's your turn."

"All right, let's go. We're going to the Garden View Lounge in the Grand Floridian for the Princess Tea Party!"

"Really? Oh I love you, Auntie Alice," Kitty said and gave me a kiss.

"You'll love me more when you receive a Princess Aurora doll, tiara, silver bracelet, rose and a "Best Friend" certificate. Even our little princes will get a crown and a Disney Bear."

**BPOV**

I felt really silly and couldn't stop blushing every time people stared at us. I wished Alice just made me wear those hats with the mouse ears instead of this full Minnie Mouse Gear. I had black tights, headband with a red ribbon with white polka dots and mouse ears on it, red mini poofy dress with white polka dots, lace underskirt, white gloves, and yellow flats. Poor Jude looked like he was too warm from the plush teddy bear clothing he wore. Kitty looked so happy so I tried to plaster a smile so that I wouldn't ruin her time there.

I shouldn't be so shocked. Alice never did things half way. When we got to the restaurant, as expected we were the only adults dressed in costume. Of course the people who worked there didn't laugh at us, but as soon as we entered the restaurant the guests started taking pictures of us from their tables, and some even came to our table to take pictures of Jude and I. Little kids came by and laughed that Tink was taller than Peter Pan. Matthew didn't care. He was happy he was Peter Pan. The mothers loved Jude though. I had to keep explaining that he was Duffy Bear. Not many people knew about Duffy Bear. Only someone like Alice or die-hard Disney fans would know something that went on at Disney theme parks outside of the U.S.

Alice took Matthew and Kitty to meet Princess Aurora while I stayed at the table with Jude. I decided to suck it up and try to have fun. The food was nice. We had Grapes, Egg Salad Sandwich, Chicken-Almond Salad Sandwich, Shrimp Salad Sandwich, Blue cheese tart, Smoked Cheddar Cheese, Sage Derby Cheese and Lavosh. They served Apple juice instead of tea, ham and cheese sandwich, peanut butter and jelly hearts, and grapes to the kids.

From the table I saw Princess Aurora teaching the little ones the royal curtsey and Alice bouncing up and down near them. At least she didn't dare join the little ones. She stood nearby and took pictures of Kitty and Matthew. Once they were all back at the table Princess Aurora came to our table to have our picture taken together.

I thought my nightmare was over when we stepped out of the restaurant, but it was so far from the truth. Right outside the Garden View Lounge, the rest of the family waited for us to come out. I so wanted to kill Alice. I had no idea Alice called the family over. Emmett pointed at me and Jude, and his whole body trembled right before busting out a laugh. Edward and Rosalie joined, but Jasper didn't dare laugh. He knew better. Alice would kill him if she caught him laughing. Esme and Calisle smiled and looked like they saw the cutest thing ever. I poked Jasper and he choked out a laugh, but immediately stopped when he noticed Alice's death glare.

"Take us back to the hotel, Edward. Jude is really warm. He can't stay in this Duffy bear outfit much longer." Edward still trembled from holding his laugh in."Let it all out, Edward. I know we look funny. If I were you I'd laugh too."

"Aww, you guys look adorable, Love," Edward said and kissed my forehead.

"How come you got out of attending the tea party?" I asked Rose pointing at her.

"Oh, I saw Alice making the outfits before we left LA. She told me she was taking us to the tea party so I told her then that she'd better not get any funny ideas of making me attend or I'd ban her from my spa."

Thankfully Edward and Jasper picked up a rental car so I didn't have to suffer taking the shuttle back. Alice didn't mind staying in her outfit so Carlisle, Esme, Kitty, Matthew, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie went to downtown Disney on the shuttle while Edward drove Jude and me back to the hotel to get changed.

After I changed myself and Jude into a pair of shorts and Tshirt, we decided to take Jude for a swim at the Uwanja camp. Uwanja camp had an observation station for children under four to play in the geyser and a shallow pool.

"Bella, why don't you just sit out in the shade while I take him into the water? You look exhausted."

"Thanks Edward. That really sounds great. Don't stay out in the sun too long, okay?" I said and kissed Edward and Jude.

I was really happy to see Edward relaxed and having fun. He had been really busy until recently. I was worried that he might get sick himself when there was the H1N1 flu outbreak last year. I didn't want to lose him over the influenza that took more than 18,000 lives. Thankfully none of us were affected although our little ones were quite prone to cold bugs over the winter.

Edward returned with Jude to the table with the umbrella where I sat comfortably. He was soaked playing in the geyser with Jude. Their faces were red and shiny from the sun and were in need of cooling down so we quickly returned to our suite. Soon after we went returned to the hotel suite, Esme and Carlisle brought Kitty and Matthew back to us. It was almost time for dinner, so we asked Esme and Carlisle if they'd like to join us for dinner, but they declined telling us that they were exhausted and wanted to just relax and order room service tonight, so we said goodnight, and Edward and I took the kids to Fulton's Crab House at Downtown Disney for dinner.

Thankfully Kitty was over her dislike of eating seafood now that she was older. We still teased her occasionally reminding her that she wasn't able to eat the friends of the Little Mermaid. Fulton's Crab House was a beautiful restaurant set in an authentic riverboat replica docked right on the riverfront. Matthew and Kitty both loved large boats. They squealed in joy when they saw the riverboat restaurant. We enjoyed our meal and the kids were thrilled to finish our first night here. After dinner we stopped by Disney's Design-A-Tee store and created original T-shirts for Kitty, Matthew, and Jude. We picked Disney Princess design for Kitty and wrote Daddy's Princess for Kitty, and then picked Lightning McQueen from Cars for Matthew, and Peas-in-a-Pod from Toy story for Jude. Edward and I tried our hardest to wear the kids down so that they'd fall asleep the minute we tucked them in bed.

**Kitty POV**

The sun shined through my window when I woke up. I got out of bed and went to the balcony to see the animals. Matthew was up too, and waited for me to help him out of bed. I slid open the window and got out onto the balcony with him. There was a giraffe grazing by the tree in front of us. Matthew wanted to get really close to the railing, but I told him that he had to sit in the chair, or I was going to send him back inside. He usually listened to me, but today he was too excited from seeing the animals, so he wouldn't listen to me, and stood on the chair, so that he could see the animals better. Standing in the chair seemed like a very bad idea, since his balance wasn't very good, so I made him wrap his arms around my neck, and his legs around my body, and I shifted him to the table, and made him sit there while I held onto his waist.

"Tum tum," Matthew rubbed his stomach and frowned. He rocked his body back and forth and kept repeating the words tum tum. That usually meant he was really hungry. I got him off the table, and took his hand, to go and wake Daddy and Mommy up.

When we got to their bedroom, Jude was already awake. He stood by the railing of the crib and shook it to get Daddy and Mommy's attention. I assumed he was hungry too. I put Matthew between Mommy and Daddy, and he went straight to Dad's ears.

"Tum tum, Daddy. Tum Tum. Tum Tum," He repeated into Daddy's ears. Daddy just mumbled something, grabbed Matthew, and held him closer to him. He still wouldn't wake up. I knew Mommy wouldn't wake up if Daddy didn't. Daddy usually woke up to even the tiniest sounds.

"Tum tum." Matthew sobbed.

"Okay. We'll go to grandma and grandpa's room," I said and got Jude out of his crib. Matthew followed me out of their bedroom. I changed into the summer dress Mom put on top of the chest, and put Matthew's shorts and T shirt, and Jude's onesies in my backpack. I grabbed the diaper bag that Mom kept Jude's diapers and Matthew's training pants so that Grandma could change them. I loved my brothers, but not their dirty diapers. I was stupid when Matthew was a baby, and tried to change his diaper, but ended up with him throwing his poop at me. Since then I didn't dare touch their diapers. I carried Jude and we left our hotel room to go to Grandpa and Grandma's next door. I learned yesterday that the door locked on its own so I didn't bother to look for Mommy's key card.

"Pa, Ma, TUM TUM! TUM TUM!" Matthew cried and banged on Grandpa and Grandma's door. He cried like he was on fire. Matthew's crying caused Jude to start crying as well.

Grandpa looked scared when he saw Matthew and Jude crying when he opened the door. "What's wrong? Esme!" Grandpa shouted for Grandma. As soon as Grandma heard her name she came running towards the door.

"Oh, my! What's wrong?" Grandma asked. She looked really scared.

"Matthew and Jude are hungry and have stinky pants," I said and handed Grandma the diaper bag.

"Where are your Mom and Dad?" Grandpa asked worriedly.

"They're still sleeping," I said to Grandpa and he sighed.

Grandma took Jude from me and Grandpa lifted Matthew into his arms and took us to the dining room. Grandma gave me some juice, and told me to wait till she got my brothers changed and dressed. A little later Grandpa returned with Matthew and Jude. They seemed happier now that they weren't wearing stinky pants anymore.

I heard Grandpa call Daddy, and he told Daddy that we were here with them. I wondered if they were going to be mad at me for leaving the room. I don't think I did anything wrong. Matthew and Jude was hungry, and Daddy and Mommy looked like they wanted to sleep more, so I came here, so that they didn't have to wake up to make us breakfast.

"Grandpa is Daddy mad?" I asked Grandpa.

"I'm sure he isn't, but if Mommy and Daddy gets mad at you, then you tell me, so that I can scold them," Grandpa said and winked. Yeah. I loved Grandpa and Grandma very much.

Once we were ready Grandpa told me that they were taking us to the Polynesian Resort where we could have breakfast with Lilo & Stitch. He said we were taking the shuttle bus from here, and that the hotel was near the Cinderella's Castle, so it was a little far from our hotel. I wanted to see Lilo & Stitch, so I didn't care if it was far. When I saw the hotel, it made me think of Daddy and Mommy's wedding in Hawaii. The food was really yummy. Some of the food was like the ones we had at the luau we went in Hawaii.

After breakfast Grandpa and Grandma took us back to our hotel. When we got to our room I was surprised to see Uncle Emmett and Auntie Rosie there with Mommy and Daddy. Daddy said if I wanted to go swimming, Uncle Emmett and Auntie Rosie would take me to Typhoon Lagoon. I got really excited and jumped on Uncle Emmett's back. Mommy packed my swimsuit and gave the bag to Auntie Rosie. I thought maybe Matthew and Jude could come too, but Mommy said we would have more fun if they weren't there, so Daddy and Mommy were going to Animal Kingdom with them while we went swimming.

Grandma and Grandpa said they were going to go golfing and Auntie Alice and Uncle Jasper came by to tell us that they were going go and see the different hotels here in the resort. Mommy and Daddy kissed me goodbye, and we left the hotel for Typhoon Lagoon.

**EPOV**

I didn't feel comfortable enough to let Em take Matthew along with them. Matthew was at the age where everything was interesting to him and would try to wander off, so I didn't want them to lose Matthew especially in a water park. I knew I could count on Rosalie, and she would never do anything reckless, but I just couldn't let him go. I think it was more because of my attachment to the boys. Ever since Kitty started school, her independent nature started to shine through, and she no longer needed me or Bella around her as much. She functioned fine without us and enjoyed her time with Dad, Mom and my siblings. I felt a little sad that Kitty wasn't clinging on to me like she used to, but I needed to get used to it. She was growing up, a little too fast, in my opinion though.

Bella pushed Jude in the stroller while Matthew walked alongside me. Matthew started to make funny noise waving his hand stuck to his nose. "PWAAA PWAAA," he said and laughed. I raised my brow in confusion and looked at Bella.

Bella pointed at the elephant sign at the entrance gate. Ah! I realized Matthew was imitating an elephant.

We first went to ride the Wildlife Express train. After the train ride, we went to the affection station so that Jude and Matthew could pet some of the gentler animals like goats and sheep.

"Food?" Matthew asked pointing to the goat while the parents around us looked horrified, and Bella hung her head in shame.

"Not this guy," I said and chuckled.

After they had plenty of fun with the animals, we went on the Kilimanjaro Safaris where we got to ride an open-air safari vehicle, and got to see some of the animals we haven't seen from our hotel room such as the lions, cheetahs, elephants, okapis and many more. Then we went to see the musical, "Finding Nemo." Both Jude and Matthew loved the show very much, and stood on our laps, while they clapped and danced to the music. Matthew lay on his stomach over my knees and acted like he was Crush, the Turtle, swinging his arms and legs out like he was swimming in the sea. After the musical Matthew looked like he used up his energy, and rubbed his stomach to tell us that he was hungry.

We found a place called "Restaurantosaurus." It was a nice fast food type restaurant great for the kids. We ordered some fries, burgers, and hot dogs. After we finished eating, we went to watch "The Festival of the Lion King." The 30 minute live show was very entertaining with many dancers, Disney characters, and even fire jugglers.

We decided to go back to our hotel room, to rest and cool down, before we got ready for dinner. While we sat in the balcony and watched the animals, Emmett and Rosalie returned with Kitty. I thanked them both and they left to get ready for dinner. Kitty bounced towards us and recapped what she did today. Kitty's face was red and shiny. It looked like she had a little too much sun today. I took her to the bedroom and applied some aloe gel to her face that Bella kept cooled in the fridge.

I thought it was kind of funny that we planned to dine at Hollywood Brown Derby for dinner. It was an authentic replica of the Brown Derby in Hollywood. We could easily eat at the original restaurant back home in LA, but to watch the show with reserved seating, the only option was to book the Fantasmic! firework dinner show package. The dinner show package let us choose one out of the three restaurant choices, and the Hollywood Brown Derby matched our preferences the closest. One of their signature dishes was the Brown Derby Cobb Salad, which followed Mr. Cobb, the owner of the historic California Brown Derby's original recipe.

The food was excellent. The menu was geared towards the adults, but our kids were used to fine dining because of Alice, so we weren't worried at all. They all loved Cobb Salad and we ordered plenty of that.

After dinner we went to the amphitheater to watch the firework show. Kitty sat between Bella and I, and I had Matthew in my lap, and Bella had Jude in her lap. Dad and Mom sat beside us, and Rose, Em, Alice, and Jasper sat right behind us. With all the screaming and cheering from Em and Alice, I thought I would lose my hearing. The show was really elaborate and the kids really enjoyed it. I glanced around and everyone of my family were smiling and clapping. I loved moments like this when my whole family was happy and together. I was quite sure that next time we came we would be joined by little ones from Em and Rose, and Alice and Jasper, and maybe more from Bella and me, although we were quite content with the wonderful three we already had.

I felt blessed and was thankful for all of them, especially my wife, Bella. Without her I wouldn't be half the person I am, and without her I wouldn't have my wonderful children.

I leaned into Bella behind Kitty and whispered, "I love you more every day. Thank you."

"I love you too, Edward," Bella said and kissed me. Kitty turned around and reached her arms out and hugged us both. Matthew noticed us hugging and stood up on my knees and kissed my cheek. Bella lifted Jude higher in her arms and he smiled at her. I saw a bright flash and noticed that Mom had taken a picture of us all huddled together, and smiled at us.

**A/N**

I hope you liked the second part of the Epilogue. I wanted to send them off happy and together.

Thank you for all the support, reviews, and emails you've sent me. I hope you all enjoyed my story, Amor Vincit Omnia, as much as I enjoyed writing it. I feel really blessed I got to know so many of you through this story, and I just want to thank you all. Your words of encouragement kept me going and without that I wouldn't have been able to complete this story. So many of you have stuck with me from the day I posted this story. It's been more than 9 months since that day and I can't find words to express how thankful I am for all of you. Please leave me a review. I would like to thank you all personally.

Since I'm in Tokyo, Japan, and if anyone needs some info about Tokyo, drop me an email! I hope to see you all in some of my other stories too!


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